Water of the Womb - (Blood and Water verse)
by Droory
Summary: Felix sets out on a quest to stop the destruction of Weyard, even if it means facing the family who left him behind. - This covers Felix and his group's side of the story! Chapters can be read here alone or one for Jenna then one here and so on. We want to keep their chapters relatively close together so you can get a sense for where both are and what's going on.
1. Aleph

Hello! We hope you enjoy this first chapter in Felix's story!

* * *

"Jenna, take off your mask!" The blonde woman called out. The rest of the situation dissolved around him as the name struck with all he had felt over the past three years all at once.

Jenna…? It couldn't be…

* * *

Water rushed and rumbled over the rocks at the base of the waterfall, splashing and slipping along before finding its place in the river and continuing downstream. Felix had become used to this as the white noise playing in the background of his thoughts now.

Every day for three years Felix found himself on the side of the river he had tried to reach that night. He stared, although blankly, at the crushed bridge and wreckage of his former home, his former life, his former family.

Every day he wondered how different things might have been if he had been quicker, if they had all gotten across, if Jenna hadn't pushed him to safety.

Maybe he should have been in her place. She was his little sister, it was his job to keep her safe and to protect her and instead she was the one who sacrificed herself for him. Sometimes, during the rainy and dark days when the night was fresher in his mind, he had wished Jenna never pushed him.

At least he could be with his family then.

"Felix, dear,"

The voice broke him from his thoughts, bringing his gaze from the river to the source behind him. His grandmother was calling to him from the doorway to her–his–home.

"It's almost time for your class with Kraden, you should get going soon," Whether the statement was true or not didn't really matter, Felix knew she was doing what she could to take him away from his thoughts in whatever way she could.

"Thanks, Grandma," He gave her a small wave as he started toward the stairs south of them, "I'll meet up with Isaac and Garet so we can go together."

"Stay safe, dear," she called after him, offering her own wave in return.

 _Stay safe._ It was not something his grandmother used to say often, if at all, but since the accident… well who could blame her for wanting her only family left to be safe.

He marched along, seeing the ghosts of the past in every corner of Vale that his eyes caught. Jenna and he fishing on the riverbank. Jenna, Garet, Isaac, and himself dropping stones from the bridge to see who could make the loudest splash. Playing tag and scraping his knee when he fell and Jenna kissing it better as the two boys teased.

Now that was all gone. His childhood, his family, all his good memories now just left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth that he forcefully choked down every day.

"Garet, be careful!"

Felix looked up, not realising he had already gotten to Isaac's house, and just in time to see Garet disappear from view behind the roof.

Rushing around to the front the house he found a ladder propped up against it with both Isaac and his mother standing on the roof above him. He quickly climbed up–seeing no trace of Garet on the ground–to find out what had happened to the redhead.

"Garet, you must be more careful," Isaac's mother, Dora called out to Garet.

Garet had put a foot through the roof right up to the knee and was struggling to pull himself free. The three Venus adepts on the house shared a sigh as the redhead managed to extract his leg from the straw.

"Sorry, Ma'am," Garet mumbled sheepishly, taking careful steps to what he thought would be a more secure piece of roof, only to lodge his ankle through yet another part of it.

"Garet, I think it best that you come down and not through the house," Felix said, stepping onto the roof and offering a hand to pull him up.

"What did you need before you started destroying my hardwork?" Isaac asked, offering a quick hello to Felix along with Dora as they helped Garet up.

Garet took a few moments to steady and balance himself, rubbing the back of his neck as he apologised again. "There's some visitors who just arrived in town, came to see if you wanna welcome 'em with me!"

Isaac turned his eyes to his mother for a moment, seeing her simply smile and wave him away from the roof. She knew how much the boys enjoyed seeing outsiders since they had started studying under Kraden.

"It's okay, Isaac, you did a great job. I can patch up the recent damage," Dora chuckled, "Just be sure that you're not late for your studies."

The three boys offered quick nods–and another apology in Garet's case–before hurrying to the town square and the inn where the visitors would no doubt be staying.

The woman at the inn was… strange. She barely seemed to move or speak, and when she did it was in stiff movements and words with a hiss. Felix concluded that she must have been the bodyguard for a merchant or scholar of some form, the latter having been more common since Kraden was granted access to the town.

The three boys studied her curiously, the only things of note they could find were her odd weapon–a large stick with a curved blade, not unlike a sickle they would use for farming–by the wall, and the colourful mask with black material obscuring her eyes.

She certainly wasn't the talkative sort, so once Garet had finished his assumed role of town greeter, and having no knowledge of where her companion had gone for the time being, the three quickly made their way up the mountainside to Kraden's cottage.

They chatted idly about this and that on their way, teasing Garet about his roof accidents, discussing the last lesson and progress with their own Psynergy, wondering if–

"–little of Sol Santcum's..."

The three stopped as a voice was carried over from Kraden's home.

"–elders… must have barred.. .the incident three years… particularly outsiders… Kraden."

The three hugged the hillside as they moved closer. Whoever was speaking had an accent much like the woman from the inn. Given their interest in the Sanctum perhaps they were scholars like Felix had assumed. Peeking as best they could they spotted two more cloaked figures at the stairs leading up to where Kraden stayed.

"–use him?" A feminine voice came from one of the two, just barely audible from where the three stood, "–stubborn, far too… my liking."

"–cunning too," A male voice added, a fire behind the words, "–his knowledge… measure… certainly use… offer… right _persuasion_."

"–here for...reason..." The woman said, "–could say… goals… same… course, if… willingly we can–"

Isaac tripped forward, trying his best to pick up on every word they said, snapping a branch growing from the hillside wall and causing the boys to stumble with a thud against it. The two figures were quick to descend on the boys, cloaks billowing about them with the speed they moved showing the Valeans flashes of blue and red beneath.

"Are you boys okay?" The male spoke up, the two of them helping them up.

"Ah, you must be the students Kraden told us about," The female spoke, but her voice sent chills down Felix's spine as he took her hand; her accent was the same sort of almost-hisses that the woman at the inn's was, and it gave him a sense of fear, "It's rare to see students trip over themselves in a rush to get to a class."

"Indeed," The male agreed with a chuckle, "if only our own students were as eager to learn as you three."

The boys dusted themselves off and sheepishly thanked the two, being met with fang-filled smiles before shaking hands–the boys' hands bared, and the two adults covered in thick gloves.

"Are you two with the woman at the inn?" Garet spoke up, "Oh wait, sorry, um, I'm Garet, the mayor's son. Welcome to Vale." He gestured to the two Venus Adepts flanking him, "This is Isaac and Felix."

The male nodded, "Ah, so you've met our companion, yes. A pleasure to meet you, boys. I am Saturos," He bowed and turned to his companion, "and this is Menardi," who offered a quick curtsey, "and we are scholars of Alchemy."

"Forgive us for not coming to the elders first, but we understand that Vale is a rather secluded town, we didn't wish to impose upon your privacy or beliefs," Menardi spoke up, "We simply had to speak with Kraden when we learned he had been allowed an extended stay at the birthplace of Weyard and Alchemy."

Felix could understand that, more than a few scholars and students had come to Vale in the hopes of learning as much as they could from Kraden. More often than not meeting the elders amounted to little more than a greeting and a request to not disturb the people. These two had probably heard enough stories from their peers before coming here.

"Well, we won't keep eager students like yourselves from class. Hopefully one day we can exchange notes," The two scholars chuckled as the boys added their own awkward ones to the mix.

Saturos and Menardi waved as they made their way back to the inn, adding on that they hoped to get more time to speak with Kraden once their class was finished.

Felix, Isaac, and Garet began walking towards Kraden's home. They quickly ducked up the stairs, calling out for Kraden.

Instead of a response to them, they heard Kraden talking to himself.

"Just who were they?" Kraden mused. "Quite unlike any scholars I've met before… They already know… too much, about Sol that even the elders of Vale don't know."

As he heard that, Felix found his mind scrutinising over every detail of the strangers. He hadn't much to go on, but he could have sworn they were… somehow different. He pushed it to the back of his mind, however, instead opening his mouth to call for Kraden once more.

However, Kraden began to muse once more, even as the boys approached–Felix's call had done nothing to alert the scholar that they had been approaching.

"And what were they saying about the Lighthouses? Questions about the dangers of reigniting them? And they suspect that the four elemental stars are the key?" A sigh. "These are things that even I, a _trained alchemy sage_ , do not know."

Deciding that it may be best to talk now, Felix led the group over, waving a hello to Kraden. Tapping him on the shoulder when the wave did not get Kraden's attention, Felix waved once more once Kraden's attention was received.

"Oh! Boys…"

"You look like something's bothering you." Felix commented, trying to keep his voice light. "Was it those two? Saturos and Menardi, right?"

"Are they still out there?" Kraden looked over their shoulders.

"No," Isaac answered, "we met them on our way up to see you for our lesson. They went back to the inn asking us to let them know when our class is finished."

Kraden sighed and shook his head. "They're very persistent."

"Did they want something from you, Kraden?" Felix asked, aware of a bad feeling in his gut. He could have _sworn_ Saturos and Menardi had scales, on the bits and pieces he could see on their faces that were not hidden in those deep hoods of theirs.

"That seems to be the case," confirmed Kraden. "Mount Aleph and Sol Sanctum," a tad bit of envy crept into Kraden's voice here, "they had spoken of them, as if they had seen them with their own eyes. Isn't that strange?"

The boys snapped to attention at that, outsiders weren't permitted near the Sanctum even the villagers were only allowed escorted visits as a rite of passage.

"Do you think they've been there before?" Garet asked, ready to run to warn the elders of thieves.

"Who can say?" Kraden mused, "They are from far distant lands, they may have simply read texts that never reached Tolbi's libraries. There's no way to confirm the accuracy of what they said… Unless…"

Felix wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Well." Kraden shrugged. "Unless we go confirm it."

"...Do you mean," Garet said, his voice shocked by Kraden's audacity, "we should go into Sol Sanctum, _ourselves?_ "

"We're just going to see if they've been up there," reassured Kraden, as the boys made to object. "We'll be fine if they don't see us."

Felix didn't like this, but if they had truly been in the Sanctum before there was nothing to stop them from doing it again. The four of them could hardly warn the elders without any evidence. "Right. We won't be doing anything _bad_ up there. Just looking."

"You can't tell anybody." Felix and Garet said at the same time, both of them looking at Isaac.

Felix understood Isaac would want to tell Dora. Since he lost his father he's done his best to protect and be there for his mother, and making sure she always knew where he would be was a big part of that. The blonde nodded slightly in response, obviously uncomfortable but knowing it to be for the best.

"Then it's decided," said Kraden, "we'll have you lead us, alright Felix?"

Felix nodded. It was a tradition in Vale, when a child came of age, to journey up to Sol Sanctum and enter it–however, in years past, since the Boulder fell, nobody had been allowed inside the Sanctum, except for the elders.

But Felix had still been led up to where the Sanctum was. So that made him the best choice.

Kraden quickly ducked back inside, saying something hastily about needing supplies for the journey up and for the boys to grab weapons if they could. Felix blinked–surely the trek wouldn't be that long, would it? But then again–who knew how long they would be inside the sanctum itself, or what was inside it for that matter.

The three of them quickly rushed to where they trained their Psynergy. They had pooled some money to buy swords from blacksmith to train with, in case monsters ever managed to get through again. Isaac and Garet wanted to be ready, and after hearing the tales of what they faced Felix was inclined to agree.

With swords in hand the three hurried back to Kraden's just in time to see him reappear from his home with a few small glittering bags, and the four began towards Mount Aleph.

Sneaking past the guard was the hard part. The first time, the four hadn't seen him, and as they had snuck past the sanctum's doors, he had chased them back to the front.

They were warned away, told to run along home and leave before he would have to report them for violating Vale's laws.

The four nodded quickly, backing away with apologies. As the guard moved out of sight around the other side of the sanctum, however, they sprinted their way up to Mount Aleph.

The journey up the mountain wasn't a particularly difficult one. Ancient stairways, meticulously kept by sages and elders of Vale, were the primary pathway up to the entrance of Sol Sanctum.

Certain stairways wrapped around the mountain leading to small shrines to represent the four elements and the various clans of Ancient Weyard and Felix wanted to avoid the guided tour.

Isaac and Garet followed quietly, being sure to watch behind them just to be sure that those scholars weren't following them like Kraden suspected, while Felix lead the way with Kraden, allowing him to lecture the three on the history of Alchemy for yet another time.

He told tales of how the stairways were supposed to have been constructed by all the primary clans at the time coming together to build a pathway to the safest place on Weyard, a place they could seal away the destructive power of Alchemy forever.

The many statues and symbols that decorated the journey towards the Sanctum reflected this, gemstones and emblems representing the elements adorning the stairway.

At least… they did where they were intact. It had caught Felix's heart in his chest the first time he'd seen it. The damage the Aleph Boulder had caused, stairways smashed in and broken apart, intricate stone carvings crushed into the mountain, statues broken in half and stone faces scattered around the stairway, _his family being crushed by the river_ , no… no.

Felix shook his head to break his thoughts away from that, doing his best to focus on simply bringing his feet down on the steps as they climbed.

"Whoa." Isaac and Garet breathed out behind him.

Four statues, easily twice the size of all the ones on the journey up, met them as they reached the entrance to the Sanctum. Each one seemed to be made of a different mineral, almost glowing with colours representing their elements. The four encircled an emblem of the sun carved into a pedestal directly before the entrance.

Kraden continued to theorise that it was representative of the power of Alchemy with all four elements together, granting the power over life in the way the sun provides Weyard with life, or the power to create whatever the user desires.

"Okay, Kraden," Garet interrupted before the sage could get into another lecture, "how about we actually get inside before someone realises we're up here?"

"Ah, yes, of course you're right," Kraden nodded to him, "Let us press on."

The doors to the sanctum were stuck tight, requiring each of the Adepts to exert their Psynergy to move the heavy stone aside to grant them entry. Garet joked that any thieves that tried to get in must need an army or be stronger than all of them combined to even hope to get into the place.

Isaac and Felix debated about whether or not they should shut the doors behind them, in case they were followed, but decided against it in the event they exhausted and trapped themselves inside.

* * *

The journey through the Sanctum had begun in stunned silence, almost reverence, even Kraden's lips were sealed as the four marvelled at the hallways and murals built into Mt. Aleph. They trekked forward slowly, silently, perhaps afraid that being too quick or noisy would invoke some kind of punishment upon them.

That was until monsters started appearing through the cracks and holes in the walls, no doubt remnants of whatever had managed to find its way into the Sanctum during the storm years ago.

The boys drew their blades and kept a close circle around Kraden, fighting back the beasts with steel and Psynergy. Their technique wasn't the best, sloppy–a trained warrior would say, practiced strikes versus one another and training logs only went so far.

Despite this, with their weapons and powers, they were able to keep a steady pace through the Sanctum despite any monsters they found.

It was the puzzles that slowed them in the end, small mazes, switches, hidden gems, floor panels, and traps sought to stop them at every turn. Each room seemed to be filled with yet another challenge and danger, be it pitfalls, blades, arrows, or whatever Psynergy the ancient Adepts were able to infuse into the stone.

But with Kraden with them and some logic applied they were able to manoeuvre their way through each one, finding certain traps and puzzles only responded to their touch. Kraden theorised they would only disable for Adepts, or perhaps even Adepts from Vale, as a final defence.

Felix certainly thought that may have been the case. More than a few of the bones left in the deeper parts of the Sanctum seemed particularly human, be they ancient thieves or maybe even the reckless fools who triggered the storm three years ago. If they hadn't been Adepts, or from Vale as Kraden thought, the traps would have eventually wore them all down.

Finally, the tunnels seemed to narrow out into one. A low groaning sound could be heard further in the tunnel, and it brought alarm to the quartet. Once again, the three Adepts formed a circle around Kraden, watching in the dim light as a large creature approached them.

Felix swallowed as he gripped his hands around his sword. His technique was sloppy, he knew that–and it looked as if this thing, whatever it was, was going to be significantly more of a challenge than the rest of the monsters so far.

The three braced themselves and readied their stances as the low groans and clanks grew closer from further down the tunnel.

A large statue, with a head shaped like the minotaur engravings they had seen throughout the sanctum, stepped forward–torches on the walls lighting around it. Perhaps they had been a warning–one that they had not taken heed of.

The statue of the minotaur made a large, deep roaring sound, and as it approached, Felix could make out every horrific detail on it.

Dried blood was splattered across its otherwise white surface, looking as if it was covered in rust. It didn't look to be made of metal, but that was how the blood looked. It stunk, too, of a rusty smell–like iron–and a smell of death and decomposition.

 _Growth._ Felix held out his hand, summoning the plants from below them, cracking through the floor of the sanctum, hoping to ensnare the minotaur statue.

Felix charged in at the guardian, the vines pulling at the beasts limbs and holding it back.

He heard a fireball from Garet _woosh_ past him, hitting the statue straight in the chest. Felix ducked low, swiping at the statue's legs. Metal hit stone, and a loud screeching sound collided with Felix's ears.

From above, Isaac's Psynergy dropped a stone spire upon the guardian. However, the guardian snapped the vines and charged forward, grabbing Felix and forcibly throwing him backwards. He collided with the wall, head slamming into it. Pain exploded in the back of his skull.

Shaking his head to right his vision he focused on casting growth again, trying to impede the guardian from stepping forward and attacking Kraden.

Garet threw himself in front of Kraden, raising a hand and casting _Flare_. A wave of fire spread forward and across the minotaur guardian.

It charged Garet, axes appearing in its hands to swipe at Garet.

They bit deep into Garet's flesh.

The scream Garet let out would haunt Felix forever.

Before Felix could move, Isaac ducked low, pulling Garet down to safety. Isaac placed a hand over Garet's wound, casting _Cure_. It appeared as clay covered the wound up, and fell off, leaving nothing but unsullied skin behind.

Felix ran forward, stabbing deep into the rock of the statue guardian.

The combat continued that way for some time–Felix and Garet casting Psynergy, being thrown back, and Isaac healing their wounds. However, soon enough, Felix and Garet were drained, not being able to cast so much Psynergy in one go.

But step back they could not. Felix and Garet put themselves between the guardian and Kraden, the two charging in for one final blow.

It worked.

Steel hit joints, rock exploding outward, and the guardian collapsed–limbs tumbling from it. As it fell the sanctum behind it glowed softly, invitingly, as numerous lights rose from the guardian's crumpled body and converged upon the three Adepts.

"Is it done?" Felix gasped, aware of Isaac putting a hand on his head and healing him.

"I think so." Isaac murmured, breathing ragged breaths.

"Well done, boys! We've found it!" Kraden congratulated as he pushed ahead over the remains of the statue guardian.

The boys, exhausted, sheathed their weapons and followed after him, wondering aloud what they had found.

Kraden gestured to the mural of the sun beneath them, "This must be the true heart of Sol Sanctum! Did you not find it odd that we've seen no reference to Sol at all yet?"

Felix paused to look around the room the guardian was defending. It was certainly more representative of Sol than any other they had encountered. The mural on the floor, the gems and carvings in the walls, all of it tied to Sol and truly gave the feel of a Sanctum.

"It's just as I imagined," Kraden spoke as he paced around the room, examining each detail, "exactly as they described it… Which means–"

"They really were thieves!" Garet yelled out, voice echoing around the chamber, "They came to rob the Sanctum!"

"Worse than that," Isaac added, "if they knew all this then they were probably the last ones in the Sanctum."

"And that would mean…"

"They're the ones who caused the storm." Felix growled, hand tightening around the handle of his blade.

It was their fault. It was their fault the storm was summoned that night. It was their fault he had gotten trapped in the river. It was their fault the Boulder fell. It was their fault his family died.

It was their fault he had seen Jenna crushed right in front of him.

His grip tightened even more, wanting nothing more than to run out of the Sanctum and hunt them down. To find them and make them feel every ounce of pain he had felt since that night. Make them pay for what they did to his family and so many others in Vale.

He felt sick, remembering the handshakes and smiles they had flashed him only hours ago. The pleasantries and fake personas they masked themselves with. Knowing they had looked each other in the eyes disgusted Felix to no end. Had he known then...

The other three paused, turning to Felix trying to find more than sympathetic glances to give him. Felix merely stood up straighter, letting a breath out as he relaxed a little, nodding to Isaac knowing he understood how this revelation felt.

"We need to go warn the elders!" Garet said after a short pause for the Venus Adepts, "We have to get them out of Vale!"

"And if they're already here?" Kraden suggested, "They made it this far before, further even, and caused that horrible storm. If we can secure whatever secrets Sol Sanctum holds we can protect them and Vale for them."

The boys gazes tightened on Kraden, not liking that suggestion at all. But… Felix had to admit he raised valid points. It was their fault three years ago and who knew if they had learned how to succeed where they failed last time. On the one hand they triggered another disaster, on the other they found the secrets to Alchemy and caused even more. The chances they could get back to the elders and drive them out of town before something happened was slim.

"Okay," Felix conceded, "We press on."

Each of them nodded, trusting in Felix's decision to go along with Kraden's suggestion, as Kraden continued through a passageway to another room.

"Ah, fascinating!" He exclaimed as the boys caught up with him.

The room was almost a mirror of the one they had just been in, but instead of Sol decorating it Luna was emblazoned across each corner. The room seemed to shimmer with starlight as the ceiling illuminated the room somehow.

"These two rooms must be connected somehow…" Kraden mused as he paced between the two, trying to find some clue to the nature of it. "Will you three continue through to see if there is any mechanism related to these rooms?"

The three agreed, they hadn't encountered any monsters in the deepest parts of the Sanctum save for the guardian and trusted he would be safe. They agreed not to stray too far from him just in case as they descended nearby stairways.

"Wow…" They breathed out as they entered what could only be described as a shrine.

Although the rooms were similar, the most striking difference was a large opening at the opposite end of the room. Garet rushed up to the edge, peering out through it, a wondrous look on his face.

"Look!" Garet cried. "We're on the other side of Mount Aleph! Look at how much of Angara we can see–there's even snow, way out there!"

Isaac and Felix took a brief look out there, a moment of stunned silence filling all three of the boys. Isaac pushed away after a moment, looking around the room.

"Alright," said Isaac, "let's try to figure out this place."

The boys spent a good half hour poring over the room. "Should we check out the other room?" was a question asked more than once, by all three of the boys, and checked it they had–though the only difference in that room was the presence of one more statue.

"Well," said Garet, "these ones in the first room–they look like they can be moved. Let's try pushing one of those into position?"

Felix and Isaac looked at each other and nodded. However, it was a mistake as one Garet's Psynergetic hand moved the statue, the room began to shake around them, lightning striking the quarter of Luna closest to the statue Garet had moved. The mural shifting into Sol where it was struck. The boys reacted quickly, using their Psynergy to push the statue back to its original position and ending the quakes and lightning strikes.

Kraden ran back to the boys, demanding to know what had happened. After the boys explained what had happened, they bantered for a few moments, drawing the conclusion that the mechanism to disable the trap must be somewhere nearby.

The boys reexamined the other room, agreeing after moments of deliberation that the larger statue from the other room must be instrumental in some way.

As the boys moved towards the statues, they attempted to move the statues with their Psynergy, to no avail. The Psynergetic hands dissipated as they made contact with the statues. Upon thinking that perhaps they'd have to physically move the statues, it took the three boys what felt like forever to barely move one.

Felix hopped to the centre of the room, running his hands through the looser hairs that had escaped his ponytail. "There has to be some way." He groaned as he tried to use _Move_ to pull the centre statue closer to them.

Nothing.

Felix stepped closer to the statue, looking at the exhausted Garet and Isaac sympathetically. They had spent a long time in here–long enough to forget where the flow of time had gone–and still nothing.

Frustrated, Felix punched the statue. He felt his knuckles crack under the force of the blow, and he swore softly, trying to shake the pain out of them.

"I give up." Garet hollered. "Whatever this trap is, hopefully the thieves can't figure it out either."

"We can't take that risk." Isaac shook his head. "They risked it once, they'll do it again."

Felix put both his hands on the statue now, trying to pull it into position. It did not move.

However, the statues began to glow now, a soft, welcoming light. Felix stepped back, his eyes widening. "Whoa…"

"What did you do?" Isaac asked.

"I don't know." Felix said as he chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "Let's try moving some of these statues again?"

Garet and Isaac nodded, and with some pushes, a beam of light appeared and revealed a hole in front of the centre statue–which Felix used _Move_ to pull into place.

There was a loud _click_ as it fell in, and Felix grinned. Hopefully, that disarmed the trap.

They moved quickly to the other room, pushing one Luna statue into place and watching as it cast a light upon the mural, changing it in flashes to a piece of Sol. With no sign of quakes or lightning they hurried to move the others as they heard Kraden shouting down to them that they must have solved it.

Hurrying back upstairs they found themselves in the Sol room, where the Luna room had been. Kraden was clapping and almost bouncing in excitement.

"You've done it, boys!" He exclaimed, "Quickly, come and see!"

The sage moved with a speed uncanny for his age and the boys followed after him, finding themselves in the brand new Luna room. A beam of light was travelling from the centre of the Luna mural to the northern wall.

"This must be it! This must be the last blockade! Quickly, boys, we must solve it!"

The three boys swallowed, a little nervous at how excited Kraden was, before Felix stepped forward curiously. Reaching a hand out to it, it looked like the light was striking the wall and not simply shining upon it.

Felix's hand passed through the beam. Nothing happened, as though his hand was not even there, the beam just continued to hit the wall. Confused, he moved his hand to where the light ended.

The four of them jumped backwards as the wall seemed to open into a door of light from Felix's touch.

"Fascinating…" Kraden whispered as he looked between the door and Felix, who was inspecting his hand was still in working order. "Shall we go?"

Hesitantly, the boys nodded, Felix leading the way as he stepped through the portal in the wall.

He found himself blinded as he travelled in what seemed to be light itself before finding himself emerging into a shimmering cave. He stumbled slightly as his feet hit slick stone beneath him, taking a moment to right himself as the other three followed him through.

Isaac and Garet stumbled as he did but managed to right themselves, unfortunately Kraden tripped as he came through twisting his ankle as he landed. Gasping out in pain the sage found himself surrounded by the Valeans, but only saw the cave around him.

"Incredible!" He shouted, the pain almost a non-issue for him now, "Look, boys, those statues!"

Having been distracted by Kraden's fall the three of them hadn't had a chance before now, but as they looked out they could clearly see 4 statues surrounding them, each emitting a bright glow from their centres. Small platforms of stepping stones separated them from the entrance and dropped down into a crystal clear pool beneath them that seemed to both reflect the cave ceiling and show the cave floor.

"The Elemental Stars!" Kraden grasped Isaac's hand as he tried to lift himself back to his feet, "They're real!"

The boys gasped in almost reverence. The Elemental Stars? This is what Vale had been tasked with defending?

"This must mean…" Kraden mused as he hobbled to his feet, "The Stone of Sages is not just a myth! Boys, we must secure the Stars!"

Felix didn't trust Kraden's motives. They were thinly veiled at best, the scholar in him was showing through far too heavily, it was clear that he cared not for Vale's traditions or beliefs and only wished to study the Stars. However, he was still right, they couldn't just leave them here now that they had unlocked the way.

"Okay," Felix agreed, nodding to Isaac and Garet.

"You and Garet go," suggested Isaac, as the three looked at the mythril bags Kraden handed to Felix. "I'll keep an eye out and take care of Kraden's ankle."

Felix wanted to argue for a moment, but he looked at how far those jumps were–and how slippery Kraden seemed when he had landed. Besides, who knew what else was out there? There had been a guardian to the entrance, what was there to stop a guardian being in the Chamber proper?

Felix nodded.

He moved to the edge and made the first jump. The landing was a solid one, though he could still feel how slippery it was beneath his feet. Garet jumped, barely making it as well, and Felix caught him. The two progressed like that for the longest time, before they finally arrived at the first statue.

It glowed with a soft orange light, and Felix felt as if it was _home._ He looked for a way to figure out how they could obtain this elemental star, he and Garet both looking for some sort of trap. However, none presented itself, and Felix reached out to the star, sitting inside the maiden-statue's hand, and pulled it out.

The world shook.

Felix heard things rise from the water, and as he looked around the room–which seemed brighter now–he saw more stepping-stones rise up from the water towards the other Elemental Stars.

Felix gripped the mythril bags tightly and jumped off the landing back onto the stepping-stones, rapidly, making his way towards the Mercury Star.

This maiden statue looked different from the other. Where the Venus statue had been human this one was... not-quite–gills, scales and a tail that wrapped around the base she was propped upon. Felix swallowed, not sure as to why she appeared this way–perhaps she was a member of the ancient Mercury Clan? Pushing past that thought Felix reached up and pulled the Star out of her hands.

Once again, the ground shook, and Felix could hear Kraden calling: "Just two more!"

Felix nodded and began the jump back to the main landing, so he could figure the best way to get across and check on Kraden, before he began jumping towards the Jupiter Star.

This statue had feathered wings surrounding it, and Felix felt great apprehension as he pulled this one out, feeling as though the strength was being sapped from him as he took it in his hand. The ground shook once more, and Felix turned to face Kraden and Isaac.

His stomach bottomed out.

"It looks as if they've spotted us," Saturos drawled out. He had one hand gripping Isaac's arm, while Menardi had hers on Kraden's.

Neither Isaac or Kraden looked capable of escaping.

Menardi groaned, lamenting the fact that Felix hadn't gotten all the Stars yet.

"Thieves!" Garet yelled across the gap at the interlopers.

Saturos laughed back at the redhead, "Are you calling us thieves? It's _you_ who are taking the Stars after all."

"What will you do with us, once you have the Elemental Stars?" Isaac's voice was barely audible to Felix's ears. Isaac shot Felix a look, begging for some sort of help.

What could Felix do, though? Felix and Garet were teenagers–Felix barely a fully grown man–against people who looked vicious enough to kill them.

"Relax," entered another voice–one Felix couldn't quite place. "You will not be hurt."

The masked woman from the inn–who they had greeted so cheerfully earlier that same day–appeared in the portal. She stepped down, and towards Isaac and Kraden, no emotion to be discerned from her voice.

"That was our… agreement, was it not?" Now, however, she sounded a little more pleading, as if she was not on the same equal footing as Saturos and Menardi.

"They'll be safe as long as they hand over the Elemental Stars." Menardi snarled as she turned to face the masked woman. "Isn't that enough?"

"You heard us," Saturos called out to Felix and Garet, "if you want to save your friends, then give us the Elemental Stars!"

Felix felt like his world was ending. No doubt, if he refused to hand over the Stars, they'd kill both Kraden and Isaac–and then possibly himself and Garet as well, just to take the Stars for themselves. And it would be all Felix's fault.

His fists balled up tightly as he stared out towards the main platform where they all stood, glaring them down and having it be returned in kind.

"You! Saturos," The man in question tilted his head up in surprise, almost impressed at this form of challenge from Felix, "it was you wasn't it? Three years ago? You're the ones who caused the storm!"

Saturos regarded Felix for a moment before offering him a simple nod, "That's right. We tried to get the Stars then too."

"So it's your fault my family died!" Felix roared at he and Menardi, "I saw my sister crushed because of you!"

Felix could feel the rage building within him. All the sadness, the pain, the anguish, and the loneliness of the past three years coming to a boiling point within him. Psynergy flowed at his fingertips almost ready to lash out in any imaginable way at them.

Saturos and Menardi didn't respond in any noticeable way, their eyes simply locking onto Felix with a little more interest. The masked woman though, she seemed shaken, a hand reaching up to clutch her cloak to her chest.

"We are sorry for what it's worth," Saturos called out, "but no words will stop us."

"Then how can I trust yours?" Felix countered, holding up the three bags, "What guarantee do I have that if I hand these over that you won't just trigger another storm, leave the lot of us here to die? Put Vale through another disaster just to get away with the Stars safely?"

Menardi scoffed, "Safely? Boy, you have no idea how dangerous this place can be. However," She turned to her masked compatriot, "I can think of a guarantee."

"Tha–that means–" The masked woman stuttered out.

"Ah, of course," Saturos smirked, "a fine idea."

"Jenna, take off your mask!" Menardi called out. The rest of the situation dissolved around him as the name struck with all Felix had felt over the past three years all at once.

Jenna…? It couldn't be…

* * *

Sky: Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoy this chapter and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Droory: We hope you enjoyed Felix's side of the story and we look forward to hearing what you thought about it and can't wait to bring you more!  
Thanks for reading!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	2. The Quest Begins

Hiya! Thanks for clicking in, we hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Jenna, take off your mask!"

"What–what did she say, Felix?" Garet asked as he gripped Felix's arm.

Felix turned to face Garet, maybe even pulled to face him from how Garet was gripping him. The redhead was wide-eyed, his face almost colourless with how the blood had drained from it at the possibility before them. Felix was sure he must have been mirroring him, if not looking worse.

Felix remembered the funerals all too well.

"She called that woman _Jenna_ ," Garet continued, "That's what she said, isn't it?"

"...Yeah." Felix covered his mouth up. "But it can't be. We saw her die."

Felix kept his hand to his mouth, trying to hide the fact he felt about ready to cry–and who wouldn't? How long had these strangers been aware of their village–what kind of game were they playing with Felix and Garet?

"Don't say her name!" Felix roared, more enraged than sorrowful as those thoughts entered his mind.

Menardi turned to Jenna. "What's the matter–don't you want them to feel safe, Jenna?"

Felix saw Isaac speaking, his voice too soft to carry across the cavern to Felix's ears. No doubt all the thoughts of three years ago flooding back to him as well.

"I'll do it," the woman–Jenna–spoke loudly, silencing whatever it was Isaac said, "I… I'll take off my mask."

She turned around for the briefest of seconds, before removing the mask. She ran a hand through short hair that Felix could barely make out from the distance. Surely enough, it was Jenna–hair shorter now, not the carefree ponytail his sister used to wear. At the sight of her, Felix began to slump over, being held in place by Garet.

"It's–it's not _possible_." Felix's voice shook, messy with tears as his eyes finally watered at the sight of his own little sister.

The face was hers, from what he could make out at the distance. Much paler than she had been in her youth, and that all seemed to be gone now. Whatever had happened to her with these strangers had drained whatever was left of the Jenna he knew from her, leaving this cloaked woman behind.

"I know I've caused you much grief, Felix." Jenna didn't sound like Jenna anymore. She sounded like some stranger from the far north, masquerading as his little sister. "It was a miracle I survived that day," Jenna continued on, "Saturos and Menardi saved–my life."

"We saw her floating in the river as we passed." Menardi said in a shockingly pleasant tone.

"I've been with them ever since," Jenna seemed like she was trying to justify it, but each word just stung Felix more. "Ever since… I've experienced a lot."

"But _why_?" Felix's voice quivered, unsure if Jenna could even hear him. "Why did you leave me all alone?"

"Felix–"

"My little sister… I thought you were _dead!"_ Felix shouted with that same rage he had shown to Saturos and Menardi. Tears split down his cheeks properly now, and it was all he could do to be enraged–or else he'd succumb to the same darkness that had held him in such a tight grip when he believed Jenna and his family to be dead.

He watched her step back as his words echoed around the Chamber, almost glad to see that he got some reaction out of her, to see that she hadn't been made into someone else.

"Save this teary reunion for later." Saturos commanded. "The Elemental Stars come _first._ Is this acceptable?"

"You have your guarantee!" Menardi called. "Now, give us the Elemental Stars!"

"Looks like we have no choice," Garet sighed as he looked Felix over once, slowly letting him go. "I'll bring them the Elemental Stars."

Felix clutched the bags for a moment or two. Relinquishing them to these invaders would just mean that Jenna would be gone again as soon as they had what they wanted. She'd take the Stars and leave, spitting in the face of Vale's teachings and Felix himself. But what else could he do?

"Yeah…" Felix nodded, handing Garet the stars.

He watched as Garet made his way across platform to platform, making it halfway back to the group, before someone… teleported in, for lack of a better word. It _looked_ like Psynergy, so Felix would assume it was.

The man had blue hair and a cool smile, and as he spoke–"Will you permit me to take those Elemental Stars?"–Felix heard his near flawlessly Valean dialect and felt… violated again, in some way, that a stranger to the village spoke their language so perfectly.

"You're late!" Menardi chastised.

"Hand the stones over to him." Saturos ordered.

Garet handed over the Elemental Stars to the man, and the man gave a faux-apology, tacking on, "You will be bringing us the remaining Elemental Star as well." He used his Psynergy to teleport back to the group on the main platform.

Felix and Garet quickly scrambled to the Mars Star, keeping their heads down as they got too close to the outsiders, for fear that if they were non-compliant in any perceived way, Isaac and Kraden would be harmed. The most disobedience Felix allowed himself was to shoot a betrayed glare at Jenna, though Jenna looked unphased by it all.

Felix hopped his way from one platform to the next around the Chamber, keenly away of six sets of eyes following his and Garet's every movement. He did his best to keep the thoughts away from his sist–Jenna–as he jumped from one stepping stone to the next, instead focusing on merely making it to the Mars pedestal.

The platform felt warm as they arrived to it, a gentle heat emanating from the statue–a much more imposing figure than the previous three. Great bat-like wings spread out from behind it, clawed hands cradling the Mars Star against rock carved to resemble scales. The face was almost reptilian in appearance, both terrifying and serene as Felix stared up at it before reaching for the Star.

With a deep breath, Felix grasped the glowing red jewel and pulled it from the statue's hands. For a moment, the world was fine, but then he felt like fire was eating his bones–and pain spread across his features. With a hoarse gasp Felix stuffed the Star into the last mithril bag, sealing it tight with one final glance at the glimmer of fire within. A quick nod to Garet and the two started toward the platforms leading back to the gateway.

The world shook and Felix stumbled back toward the statue.

There was a bright flash of light.

When it dimmed and the spots cleared from Felix's vision he noticed the Chamber floor now empty, the water was gone, drained through cracks that had split open into the chamber. From them magma seeped and bubbled upward, slowly rising as it spread out across the floor.

A large crashing sound followed.

"Not again." Felix heard someone on the main platform say.

Felix wondered what was going to happen to them as the blue-haired man yelled that the chamber was collapsing. Would he and Garet be able to escape in time?

This must have been the beginnings of the retribution that they had been warned about. Truly, it was horrifying, as chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, and magma poured forth from the ground. To be either crushed by rocks or burned to the death from the dangers pushing toward the platform surfaces. _This_ was what the elders had tried to teach them–that Alchemy was dangerous, and well, here was evidence of it, first hand.

The shaking ceased.

"It's over! But…"

"–What is _that_?"

"No!"

"Do you know what that is, Felix?" Garet asked.

Felix swallowed, staring up at the being floating above them. A rock with one brilliant blue eye that pierced right through them with its gaze. Felix blinked, shaking his head, doing his best to shake out the memories of the last time a rock had come down on him from above.

"Yeah..." Felix said softly, knowing full well what this was. The Wise One. Guardian of the Vale. Protector of Alchemy's Seal. He was sure Garet knew too, everyone in Vale had heard the tales, but had scarcely believed it to be possible.

Then the world shook once again.

Vaguely, Felix was aware of the fact that the other group was talking, but he kept his eyes on the Wise One.

The Wise One turnt back and forth to stare at both groups. Felix gripped Garet's arm tightly. Whatever they could do to escape was probably moot; there was no way Felix could muster the power to _Retreat_ both he and Garet from inside a place with such raw Psynergetic power.

"What about Felix and Garet?!" Isaac half-yelled, calling Felix's attention back towards the group on the main platform. "You can't just leave them here!"

Isaac's words had Felix looking all around. The only way back was the stepping stones that had led them here, the long way around the back-side of the gateway. Felix doubted he and Garet would ever make it back, the platforms were treacherous enough before they had taken the Stones, but now with Vale's guardian looking down on them like they were vile thieves what hope did they have.

"We take these two with us." Felix glanced back to the main platform, Alex's voice had raised enough for the two Valeans to hear him clearly, "If they want them returned safely, they'll bring us the Star. Besides, we have need of a Venus Adept."

Kidnapping? Is that the sort Jenna was involved with now? There was an argument breaking out in front of the gate, Jenna had placed herself between the others and Isaac, anger clear on her face even from where Felix stood.

The others argued back, some pushing and grabbing of limbs before Isaac said something that seemed to calm everyone down. During it all Felix was searching desperately to find some way back to them, doing his best to keep the Wise One in the periphery of his vision.

But there was nothing.

Felix felt trapped. He couldn't make it back, to grab Isaac and Kraden to safety, but no place in the accursed chamber was safe–not without the Elemental Stars to hold the room together.

He turned back to the gateway, defeated, watching as one by one the intruding group left with Isaac and Kraden in tow. Jenna and Alex were the last to leave, both pausing to look at Felix and Garet on the Mars platform.

"Felix!" The way she screamed his name reminded him so much of the last time he saw her before he lost her, "Garet! Don't… die!"

With that she left, leaving just Alex staring at the three remaining in the Chamber. He stared each of them down for a moment and Felix saw him speaking to himself before he too stepped through the gate.

The world shook once more.

Garet pulled Felix out of the way of a falling rock, and they watched as another rock crashed into the gateway, breaking it.

There was no way out.

"This..." Garet began, looking over at Felix, then the Wise One, then back again. "this… is terrible..."

"It's a miracle we're still standing," Felix half-rasped half-grunted, a rather unusual noise from him.

"You… don't think they'll hurt them, do you?"

"No." Felix shook his head, though he can't say he was as sure of himself as he was trying to sound. "They'll be safe. Jenna won't let them hurt Isaac and Kraden."

They looked around once more as the world rumbled, aware that the Wise One had vanished from its earlier spot. It was gone. They were going to die in here–for forsaking the teachings of Vale, for allowing these strangers to step inside their holiest of places–

"We've got to try find a way to make it out of here." Garet said, moving out of their hiding spot as the worst of the damage appeared to be over. "Can you use _Retreat?"_

Felix stepped forward and grasped Garet's shoulder in an attempt, Psynergy rings briefly flashing around him before dissipating into nothing. They both sighed in defeat at that, seemingly trapped.

"Maybe the portal back to Sol Sanctum still works."

As Garet turned around to begin the dangerous jump back to where the main hub was, the Wise One reappeared behind Garet. Felix took a step back, watching in shock for a moment, before he said softly, "Garet."

The world quaked again as Garet looked behind him. He staggered back, moving towards Felix. The Wise One pulsed, appearing to cause the quakes to stop.

 **"WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE?"**

The voice that Felix heard, both externally and internally rattled his very soul. It sounded like every person he had ever known, speaking to him all at once. The voice booming around both his mind and from all corners of the cavern, loud and disorientating but somehow calm. Eerie, to say the least–something Felix would always remember, at most.

 **"THIS PLACE HAS BECOME DANGEROUS."**

Before Felix or Garet could find the means to say anything in return–to retort or beg for forgiveness or help after what they had done–the entire chamber began quaking more heavily than before.

The Wise One stopped looking at Felix and Garet, floating towards a lava spout that had spurted to life as the quakes began again. The Wise One began using Psynergy–Felix and Garet could see the rings appear around it–and the lava quickly stopped spouting.

 **"THE VOLCANO WILL SOON ERUPT. I CANNOT HOLD IT FOR LONG. YOU MUST LEAVE THIS PLACE."**

The statue of the Mars maiden began to glow, specks of red light appearing on it–eighteen altogether–before they shot out of the statute, vanishing and effectively leaving the room. Felix backed away from the statue, wondering what sort of Alchemical power had been unleashed from it.

 **"THE ELEMENTAL DJINN… THEY HAVE RETURNED…"**

Felix wanted to ask, to learn more, but before he could open his mouth–

 **"TAKE OUT THE ELEMENTAL STAR."**

Not a request.

Felix did as he was told, removing the Star from the mythril bag he had been given. Pain shot through his arm, his nerves alight with the power held within as he raised it out towards the Wise One. The Wise One looked at Felix and the Star once more, before glowing.

 **"RETURN IT TO ITS BAG."**

The pain was gone. Felix glanced at the gem briefly before he did as told.

 **"THE ELEMENTAL STARS ARE… MOVING AWAY FROM HERE."**

Felix felt his face drain of any blood in it. The Elemental Stars–and Jenna and Isaac–were moving away from Sol Sanctum. And Felix had no idea where to even begin searching for them. He opened his mouth to ask how far, how fast, _what direction_ , spotting out of the corner of his eye the same phenomenon happen to the Mercury Statue.

 **"WITHOUT THE POWER OF THE ELEMENTAL STARS TO CONTAIN IT, THE MAGMA FLOWS FREELY ONCE AGAIN, AND THIS CHAMBER IS COLLAPSING."**

Once again, the dots–Djinn–appeared on the Venus statue, before they too vanished.

 **"THERE WILL BE NO CHAMBER FOR THE ELEMENTAL STARS TO RETURN TO."**

Then the Jupiter Djinn fled.

 **"THE WORLD WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE POWER OF ALCHEMY."**

"Alchemy?" Garet found his voice before Felix did, both boys looking aghast. "The power that threatened all of Weyard?"

They had known this all along, but to hear it confirmed in no uncertain terms by what was–for all intents and purposes–a god shook them to their core.

 **"IT CAN BE A DANGEROUS POWER IF IT IS MISUSED…"** the Wise One explained. " **IF THE ELEMENTAL STARS IGNITE THE FLAMES OF THE FOUR LIGHTHOUSES, THAT POWER WILL BE RELEASED.** **AS LONG AS THE FOUR LIGHTHOUSES REMAIN UNLIT–"**

The chamber shook more intensely this time, the ground bursting upward from below in multiple locations as more lava started gushing forth. The Wise One cut off what it was saying to attempt to quell the tremors, but to no avail.

 **"THE VOLCANO… IT'S ERUPTING! FLEE, NOW!"**

"But how?" Felix gestured to the destroyed portal.

 **"AH. I SEE. I WILL HELP YOU…"**

The world flashed before Felix and Garet's vision, and they were back in the Luna room. All looked well, beyond the shaking of the building.

"Did… The Wise One save us?" Garet asked.

"I think so." Felix nodded.

Then the cracks in the ceiling appeared. Garet grabbed Felix's hand and the two began to run.

"Can you get us out of here?!" Garet yelled over the roar of the shaking and breaking Sanctum.

Felix nodded, casting _Retreat_ as quickly as he could, causing their world to flash once more, before they ended up just inside the propped up Sanctum doors. The two sprinted down the stairs, past the statues, and back to the walkway in Vale. As they approached Vale's Sanctum, they paled–for the entire village had gathered 'round the Sanctum, looking up hopefully at the stairs.

"Uh oh." Garet stopped just out of sight. "It's the entire village..."

Both boys swallowed. There was no way to deny or explain away what they had done and everything that had happened. They had violated all of Vale's creeds and teachings and were no better than the thieves who had escaped with the other Elemental Stars.

Felix shook his head as he began to approach the village. "We have to get the village to evacuate before–"

"Felix!" Dora called out to him as he stepped forward. "Is Isaac with you?!"

Garet swallowed and stepped out, towards the village. They were called over by the Mayor, and Garet and Felix moved quickly, both beginning to babble.

"–Sol Sanctum will erupt–"

"–we went inside the Sanctum–"

"What _happened?_ Only one of you." The Great Sage–the one who had shown them how dangerous Alchemy could be–raised his hand for both boys to silence themselves.

"Weren't Isaac and Kraden with you?" Dora asked, looking around frantically.

Felix swallowed. "Yes. They were taken away."

"By _whom_?" Dora looked confused.

"By these strangers." He omitted the detail of Jenna for now.

"This is all very complicated." The Sage said. "We'll need you to tell us what exactly happened on the mountain. Come inside, both of you."

Felix and Garet stepped inside the sanctum. There they were–surrounded by the Great Sage, the Council, and Isaac's mother. Felix was aware now, surrounded by these holy people–for he was closer to the Sages than he found comfortable–that he and Garet had _sinned._

They had spat in the face of their entire culture. They would be lucky, if they got out of this without being forsaken from Vale altogether.

So Felix began his story by entreating for forgiveness for their actions. Garet would interject every so often, and the two young men did not look a single person in the eye. How could they, after all they had done? There was no way that they could honestly say they hadn't known what they were doing; as they told their tale of heresy, Felix became uncomfortably aware that the Great Sage wouldn't even look at them.

Finally, the retelling of their sins was done.

"We had no idea…" The Mayor whispered. "The true Sanctum…"

"And Isaac and Kraden…" Dora looked at Felix, tears in her eyes. "They're prisoners?"

"Yes." Felix and Garet said in tandem.

"They've been taken against their will… How awful." Dora swallowed, beginning to cry in earnest now for her lost son.

"Do you think they can be saved?" Asked the Great Sage.

"Yes." Felix said.

"Jenna will protect them, won't she?"

There was a general consensus of nodding. Felix wasn't so sure, but he didn't dare go against anybody else's conclusions. They hadn't seen Jenna, and how she had strayed from the faithful of Vale's teachings.

But then again, so had Felix.

"What is it, Great Healer?" The Mayor asked. "You have been very quiet. It's like you're a thousand miles away."

The Sage turned towards the group, not looking directly at Felix or Garet. "The Wise One…"

"What about it?" Dora inquired.

"I have seen it before, in my dreams," he explained, "in my mind's eye, it appeared again just now and spoke to me."

Felix felt a great chill overcome him.

"It told me what happened to you in Sol Sanctum." The Sage's eyes fixed onto Felix and he felt as though it was the Wise One staring into his soul again.

"So what does the Wise One say about the eruption?" The Mayor asked.

"Will the volcano… destroy Vale?" Asked Dora.

The Sage glowed as the Wise One did. "It is impossible to stop the eruption now. Vale will be safe." And then he glowed again.

"Vale… won't be destroyed?" Felix dared to ask. He was sure that all of Vale would be subjected to the power erupting from within Sol Sanctum. _As punishment for_ my _sins._

The Sage shook his head. "Something even more dreadful than Vale's destruction looms ahead."

"What could be worse than the destruction of Vale?" Garet dared to whisper to Felix.

But the Sage, overhearing the question, answered, "A terrible power. The Elemental Stars house incredible power, and Vale has been guarding it. The Elemental Lighthouses will loose that upon the world. And once the power of the gems has been unleashed, the whole world will…"

"The Wise One wants us to get them back, doesn't it?" Felix asked softly.

The Sage shook his head. "No." The finality of the answer caused a murmur to erupt around the sanctum. "It is your choice."

"Are you suggesting," Dora snapped, "we place the fate of the world… in the fate of Felix and Garet?"

A simple nod in return.

"Garet is only a child!" The Mayor snapped. "You can't expect him to bear such a burden!"

The Sage stepped away. "The Wise One has spoken. Felix and Garet share responsibility for this. Now, each of you must make your own decision. You can give chase and recover the Stars or remain here. The Wise One says the fate of the world in your hands."

"Felix..." Garet whispered.

The two boys nodded to each other.

"It's our responsibility." Felix said solemnly.

The Sage turned around, outstretching his arms. He began to glow once more. "O Wise One, these two have accepted your quest! Give us your next command!"

The Wise One appeared once more, and Felix felt his insides knot up in guilt.

 **"YOU TWO ARE QUITE BRAVE TO TAKE ON THIS QUEST. I SHALL BE WATCHING YOU. CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY WISELY, YOUNG ONES."**

Then, the Wise One vanished.

More murmurs around the sanctum, wondering if they had truly seen the Wise One or if it had spoken to any of them.

"Jenna must… unlock the power. Find the Lighthouses… You'll have the guidance of the Elemental Star…"

"...Then what?" Felix asked.

"Surely that can't be all the advice you can offer them!" Dora cried out.

"Seek the Elementals. The Djinn. They will prove… useful."

"Is there anything else?" Garet asked.

"That is all."

The Great Sage left with those words. The silence stretched out for a long moment before the lesser sages murmured an excuse about meditation, following after the Great Sage.

"Tomorrow, then." Felix faced Garet. "We've no time to waste."

* * *

Felix hadn't been able to sleep that night. Night had fallen long before they had finished in the sanctum. Not that he had been able to tell, billowing clouds of smoke and ash blotted out the sky, all forms of particles falling down upon the now earthquake riddled town.

Felix had given up on sleep and found himself sitting on the shattered remnants of the dock beside his old home. How could he have slept with all that had happened? Jenna was alive and had betrayed him and Vale. He himself had betrayed Vale and was now responsible for saving the world from the threat of Alchemy.

The quakes didn't cease through it all, tossing the river waters wildly–just like they had three years ago. Felix didn't know if he should laugh at himself for all of this, causing the same–no, a worse–disaster that had hit Vale back then. The day he lost Jenna and his family… the day Isaac and Dora lost Kyle.

"Dora…" Felix mumbled, voice full of guilt.

He'd at least gotten his sister back in some small capacity, but Dora had only lost even more.

Felix stood up, shaking ash and Psynergetic crystal from his hair, and found his feet carrying him toward Isaac's house a few moments later. Occasionally he stole glances up toward Mt. Aleph, smoke still pouring forth from behind it, the whole mountain glowing an eerie orange from the lava that spurted out and away from Vale.

He wondered if all Adepts once had the level of power the Wise One controlled, would he someday too if he and Garet couldn't stop Jenna?

"Felix."

He blinked and looked around, finding Garet walking towards him.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Garet asked.

Felix shook his head and shrugged. "I don't think anyone can in these conditions."

The boys looked down on the various homes of Vale, sure that pretty much everyone must have been awake, worried that their homes were about to be destroyed. They stood there for a moment, Felix wondered what everyone must think of the two of them now. After all they were no better than the thieves in the minds of Vale.

"I was worried about Dora." Felix's words were almost cut out by an explosion and quake from the backside of Mt. Aleph.

The boys braced themselves through the worst of the quake before Garet answered with a simple "Yeah".

In silent agreement the two continued towards her home, standing meekly in front of the door. Earlier all had been well–they had been living their regular lives, about to attend class with Kraden, falling through the roof and exchanging jokes–now they were responsible for the worst threat the world had seen in centuries.

With three rapid, loud, knocks on the door the boys waited, not really expecting an answer. It was a minute, or two, maybe three, before the door finally opened to reveal a dishevelled and ragged Dora before them.

"Oh, Felix, Garet, what are you doing out so late?" Her voice was hoarse, strained.

"Can we come in, ma'am?" Felix did his best to be soft-spoken and polite despite the noise of the eruption.

Dora gave a small nod and opened the door wider, moving behind it as if she were hiding herself as the two boys entered. Felix and Garet settled onto a couch while Dora sat across from them.

"We're sorry." Felix was quick to the point, besides, what else could he have started with?

Dora sniffled and nodded in response. He doubted that she blamed the two of them for what happened, even if she had every right to.

"We'll get him back." Garet added quickly, "Promise. He'll be back before you know it so he can finish fixing that roof."

A weak chuckle escaped from Dora as she wiped at her nose with a tissue. "He did before you stepped on it, Garet."

"I swear I'm not just going after him so I don't have to fix the damage I caused."

Another weak chuckle. Garet was always better at that than Felix and he was thankful to have him here now. He wasn't sure how this might have gone if he hadn't run into Garet on the way here.

"He'll be safe, don't worry." Felix wasn't so sure of those words himself. Yes they had been given a "guarantee" in the form of Jenna herself, but he doubted she could ensure that they weren't harmed _at all_.

"Yeah!" Garet offered the broadest smile he could in the situation. "They've no reason to hurt Isaac or Kraden anyway."

Dora looked a little more calm from that reassurance. Maybe not. Maybe it was just the company that was helping.

"Thank you, boys."

A rumbling silence settled over the room, the occasional quaking or noise from Mt. Aleph rocking them as they stared at the table between them. Felix didn't know how he wanted or expected this visit to go. He didn't even know if he and Garet _could_ reliably save Isaac. Neither of them had been very far outside of Vale in the past… only to search for his family and Kyle years ago.

He wondered what Dora must think of he and Garet now. Not only had they violated Vale's sacred laws had but they had gotten Isaac caught up in all of it and now he was the one suffering for it.

Felix stood up, not truly caring if she found him detestable right now, and walked to her side. In a smooth motion he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. A tight squeezing hug, very much the same that she had given him after the storm when he lost his family. Hands gently rubbed her back and he rocked her slightly.

"We'll get him back. That's a promise."

Dora broke down. She buried herself into Felix's arms and wailing against his shoulder. Garet was quick to their sides and wrapped his arms around both of them. Dora sobbed and sniffled loudly into the embrace, no words came to any of them.

They simply held each other with the promise to return her son safely.

* * *

All of Vale had gathered to see Felix and Garet off. Each pair of eyes seemed to pierce them as they stared, it seemed less like a cheerful goodbye and good luck wish on their journey and more of a town-wide court that had decided to banish the two boys for what they had done.

Smoke still filled the sky and ash still fell down upon Vale and everything within sight, covering what should have been a bright morning in a shimmering gray film. Felix did his best to keep his eyes off of the peak of Mt. Aleph as he met the gaze of the Great Sage.

"We are counting on both of you." His voice was measured and did nothing to ease the nerves of either of them. "The fate of us all is in your hands."

There were some mutterings and mumblings through the crowd. Word had likely not reached everyone in town over what had happened yet, but no doubt was spreading quickly through the crowd now.

Garet's sister Kay stepped out from the crowd and handed Felix and Garet some herbs. "Take these. I grew them myself. If you get hurt or anything you can crush them into a paste to put on cuts, or mix them with some water to drink if you feel weak. Oh! And don't drink any water you find if it smells funny!"

The boys carefully pocketed the herbs and nodded, thanking her.

"We know not to drink stagnant water, Sis!"

She laughed a little, quickly hugged the both of them, and wished them safe travels before moving back to the crowd circling them and held Aaron–who was lightly sniffling and expressing concern for his brother.

Felix's grandmother stepped forward next, gently hugging both of the boys. She handed them both some vials with sparkling liquid, explaining that it was the water blessed by Mt. Aleph. Should they ever fall drinking that would restore them.

They thanked her and hugged again before she returned to the crowd. Felix noticed one of the Sages nearest him glancing around as she did.

"Hmm… Dora is very late…"

Felix looked over the crowd realising that she hadn't made it to see them off. Not that he had expected her to. It had been very late before she had fallen asleep and Garet and he had left the for the night.

"It must be very difficult for, Dora..."

"All she had left was Isaac."

"The boy was so strong for her."

"I don't know how she'll manage without him."

"If not for them this wouldn't have happened."

Felix and Garet did their best to ignore the voices they heard in the crowd. The Mayor eventually spoke up, his voice cutting across over the rumbling of Mt. Aleph and the crowd.

"We can't keep this forever or they may never leave!" He turned around and raised his hands to the crowd. "So! One final farewell!

All eyes turned back to them as the Mayor did and a grand chorus of "Farewell!" echoed out.

The two smiled and nodded, Garet quickly hugging his family and Felix embracing his grandmother. She didn't know about Jenna and he had asked those in Vale's sanctum yesterday to keep that secret from Vale at least until he returned.

With that they turned their backs to Vale and marched out the gate, swallowing at the realisation of the task set before them.

"Wait!"

The boys looked back, the crowd had mostly dispersed but from it Dora was rushing through the gate and toward them.

"I'm sorry I'm late, boys." She panted, looking messy and ragged. She must have just woken up.

Both of them assured her it was fine and expressed their thanks that she had been able to see them off. She pushed a small box into each of their hands.

"It's not fresh but it's some sweet-bread I made the other day, should help keep you going. And–" She pulled a necklace of green beads off of her neck and pressed it into Felix's hands, "–these were Kyle's. They're imbued with a Psynergy that allows you to reach things you might not be able to. It could be useful."

Felix carefully put the beads around his neck and nodded to Dora, unsure of what to say at the mention of Kyle.

With that Dora pulled both boys into a tight squeezing hug. "Best of luck, both of you. And stay safe!"

"We will ma'am."

"And don't worry, we'll be back safe with Isaac in no time. You make sure you get some rest. My family is more than happy to help out with whatever you need."

"My grandma too, I'm sure all of Vale will be there for you."

"Thank you, boys." Dora's eyes were a little wet with tears but there was a wide smile on her face.

Felix and Garet nodded to her before continuing out of Vale and into the world proper.

* * *

Felix hadn't expected the world outside Vale to be the way it was. He could understand Vale, having been at the centre of the eruption, to be covered in soot and ash and to have the sky blacked out above it. Yet the world that stretched out in front of Garet and he as they made their way toward Vault was much the same.

Hills and mountains out as far as the eye could see were covered with the same shimmering gray that coated Vale. The world still shook as Mt. Aleph did behind them and Psynergy filled rocks and ash still fell down upon the world, covering any other colours that may have been a more welcoming greeting to their first day of travel.

He had caused this.

Whatever he might want to say about Jenna and the people she was with, or wherever he wished to shift the blame to, it always came back down to the fact that it was Kraden, Isaac, Garet, and he that had decided removing the Stars for safekeeping was the best idea.

This was a result of their "best idea".

They were mostly silent as they marched on, no doubt both of them deep in the very same thoughts of blame and responsibility for the state of the world.

Felix realised this would only be a precursor, a warning at best, to the dangers that awaited both them and Weyard itself if they didn't get the Stars back to Vale safely.

At the very least, for the first hour or so, the journey had been uneventful. No one and nothing to see, no doubt to avoid being anywhere near the erupting volcano. That is until Felix spotted some kind of glowing orb that seemed to be bouncing around along the pathway leading southeast to Vault. He raised a cautionary hand to Garet as they both slowly approached it with their hands on their weapons.

"Hey!"

A voice seemed to call out from the light. Felix threw a quick glance to Garet who kept his eyes fixed on whatever this light was. It slowly approached them before it shifted and changed into the form of this… thing?

Felix wasn't quite sure what he was looking at. It was this small brown creature, lighter brown on what he would assume was a belly and a deeper one along its head and back down to its tail. For eyes it looked like it was just two bright blue orbs set into it.

The brown creature briefly flashed with Psynergetic rings, startling both of the boys into taking a step back, fingers gripping their weapons tighter.

"You guys must be Adepts!"

Wide-eyed the boys exchanged shocked looks to each other and back to the creature.

"You look like you're new around here." The creature hopped from side to side a little, "Embarking on a dangerous journey in a strange land?"

Felix offered a tentative nod in response.

"I thought so…" The creature stopped hopping. "Well, I'm looking for my companions… We were separated when Mt. Aleph erupted. Would you mind helping me find them?"

Felix and Garet exchanged doubtful but sympathetic looks, "Sorry, but what we're doing is kind of dangerous and important. We don't really have time–"

"Come on, take me with you! I'll even lend you guys my powers!"

Felix quirked an eyebrow at that, "You can lend us your Psynergy? How?"

The creature hopped closer, "I'm a Venus Djinni! My name's Echo."

Djinn? The lights that escaped from Sol Sanctum during the eruption?

"You see the more Djinn an Adept bonds with the more powerful and varied their Psynergy becomes!" Echo explained, "All you gotta do is set us and unleash our power when you need!"

"I don't quite unders–"

"If you gather a bunch of us you'll have all that power at your disposal!"

They did need to be stronger. The power Saturos, Menardi, and Alex possessed was likely leagues ahead of their own. If they were to have any chance perhaps bonding with the Djinn would be for the best.

Plus… it was their fault Echo had been separated from the others.

"So, what do you say? Will you be a pal and take me with you?"

Felix gave a quick nod, "Alright."

Echo began hopping around Felix, "I'm so happy! You won't regret this, I promise! Now we're pals forever!"

Echo burst into a series of yellow coloured orbs that all converged upon Felix's body before melding to it, much in the same way lights from defeated monsters did. As the last orb disappeared into Felix he felt a sudden surge of energy and power, as though he could rend the earth beneath him in two with no effort.

"Were you sure about that?" Garet asked as he stepped up to Felix's side.

Felix offered a shrug before hearing Echo's voice in his head, saying that he'd explain how best to use Djinn when he was needed. Maybe he wasn't so sure that was the best idea, especially if there were more to be found.

* * *

The following hours of their journey were far more eventful than their first. The further they got from Mt. Aleph it seemed like Weyard became more populated with dangers. Monsters and beasts, all coated in ash, had attacked them.

Felix had been surprised to find monsters wandering so far from wherever their dens were and onto pathways, but nothing shocked him more than to find them using some forms of weak Psynergetic powers.

They seemed to be in a frenzy as they attacked, not caring if they hit each other or their targets. Some even looked vaguely animal like, but now twisted and reborn into some horrible creature.

Felix and Garet fought back with steel and Psynergy, hoping that displays of their power would deter simple wolves but to no avail, and Echo's powers proved to be a huge boon. The power Echo allowed Felix to unleash did more than enough to slay and drive off any beasts that attacked.

Echo expressed pity for the beasts, explaining that many of them were likely driven mad or changed by the Psynergy crystals that gave them their powers. Felix felt his stomach twist around itself at that. Had he really destroyed an ecosystem and corrupted entire dens of animals and monsters by taking the Stars?

He didn't have much time to think on it, the longer they were out in the open on the road the more likely it would be that they would get attacked again and again until they were worn down before reaching Vault.

It was almost a full day, if not more, before the boys finally reached the gates of Vault, arriving just as a row of caravans were leaving. Some merchants talked as the young men stood aside. One man, dressed in rich garb–with more colour than Felix and Garet had ever seen on the majority of Vale's plain clothes–said they could not stay any longer. Felix did his best to not eavesdrop, not wanting to think about how it was most likely a result from their actions inside Sol Sanctum.

However, the caravans left south, with Felix catching a single phrase as they left: 'Ivan's strange powers'. He was curious, admittedly; the only strange powers he had ever heard described as such were outsiders describing rumours about Vale–only for the village as a whole to disprove them

In the distance, for the south was not a heavily mountainous area, nor was it heavily forested, Felix and Garet could see Psynergy crystals and rocks from Mount Aleph come crashing down once more. Both Felix and Garet flinched when the rocks and Psynergy crystals crashed into a caravan and a bridge the caravans were trying to pass.

Felix and Garet turned back into Vault, seeing the caravans head north. The weight of the world weighing heavily on them as they entered.

While they had never been inside Vault, the town was a familiar picture that would continue to haunt the boys for some time: ash covered buildings, damaged by falling chunks of rock, with a burnt, hollowed out feeling to a few buildings. This village was thankfully smaller than Vale, and they only felt the eyes of a few individuals following them, rather than the eyes of an entire village.

When they made it to the inn, Felix swallowed and approached the innkeeper at the desk. "Excuse me, sir," he began, a shaky voice as he tried to remember Kraden's lessons about common Angaran tongue, "I was wondering how much it was for a room."

The innkeeper looked the two young men over, perhaps feeling a bit of kindness as he grunted out a price.

"I'm–also looking for a group of travelers." Felix said as he handed over the measly amount of coin. "A young woman with short red hair, a young man with messy blond hair, an elderly man, a man with blue hair, and two people who may have been wearing unseasonably warm clothes–but if they weren't, they'd look… frightening."

"Aye, they were here alright." The innkeeper's voice was dark. "Never should have given them a room. If you ask me, it's them that's kidnapped Lord Hammet's boy!"

* * *

Sky: Thanks for being so patient! we appreciate you for reading and we hope you enjoyed it!

Droory: Thanks so much for reading! Really hope you enjoyed it and that we're keeping you looking forward to more! Thanks again!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	3. Vault

Hey! Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks in advance for reading!

* * *

"Kidnapped?" Felix exchanged a worried glance with Garet. He hadn't really thought they would take any more prisoners, Isaac and Kraden were supposed to just be leverage for the Mars Star.

"Aye," the innkeeper nodded. "Stayed here no more than an hour. Fleeing from the eruption, they said."

That means Jenna was already nearly a day ahead of them. Who knows how far they could go in such a short time?

Garet spoke up, "What makes you think they're the ones who took… uh…"

"Ivan," the innkeeper answered. "Lord Hammet's lad. And because they're the only ones who have left the town since the eruption. Hammet had his guards help us lock it down so the thieves couldn't leave."

"Thieves?" How much had this town gone through in just a day.

"Aye, thieves. Robbed the town blind, Hammet too, during the confusion when the eruption started, barely had time to look for them during the panic."

"Couldn't these thieves have taken Ivan hostage too?" Garet asked, glancing around the inn for anyone he thought could be suspicious.

"Maybe," The innkeeper replied. "Hard to keep track, plenty of visitors from smaller settlements came here to take a look at Hammet's wares, now half the town are suspicious of all of 'em, and all of 'em just wanna leave to go home and check their farms and settlements survived the eruption."

"And Hammet just left even with all this trouble? What about his son?" Felix scratched the back of his head, feeling the guilt of what he had done weighing heavily upon him, the sorrows of each person in town only adding to the burden.

"Suspects Lunpa, I reckon. Town full of thieves and bandits to the north. I'd say he's gone to get some warriors from Kalay to spread word about Ivan, maybe even be prepared to attack Lunpa if it was them."

"I see…"

Garet thanked the innkeeper as Felix fell silent. Had he just stayed away from the Sanctum none of these disasters would be befalling the area. And Jenna had helped to kidnap someone's son? For what possible reason? He was the son of a wealthy merchant lord, did they just want money?

"You okay?"

Felix found himself sitting at a table across from Garet, unsure of how long he'd been zoned out for.

"No." Felix answered plainly, a light shake of his head. "This is all our fault."

"Yeah," Garet nodded, but he seemed undisturbed. "But at the same time, who in Vale could have or would have stopped them if we'd done something different? They had Jenna with them, they'd have gotten into the Sanctum one way or another, and probably gotten away with all four of 'em."

"Your point?"

"We did our best, and in the end we managed to keep them from taking the Mars Star. If we hadn't done what we did all this would have happened, but they'd have everything and we'd have nothing."

"Still our fault, we caused this." Felix answered, discovering that Garet had ordered a meal for them when a waitress came to their table with plates of food.

"As much as we caused the Boulder to fall. If we'd gotten someone with strong enough Psynergy soon enough that day, you'd have gotten out of the river and away from the Boulder before anything happened," Garet said in between mouthfuls of meat. "We did our best. There's some blame, but everything that's happening from this point on is on Jenna and them. This was going to happen one way or another."

Felix fell silent at that, slowly going about eating his meal as he thought over Garet's words. A lot of what he said was true. There was definitely no guaranteed way for them to be able to do anything about stopping Jenna from taking the Stars, much less have done any better than they did.

That didn't change the fact that there might have been better alternatives, better options, for them to consider before they just ran off to Sol Sanctum without a word to anyone else. Responsibility for what was happening absolutely fell on their shoulders… but maybe not responsibility for everything.

* * *

Were the sun visible through the smoke spewing from Mt. Aleph far to northwest Felix would have been able to tell it was setting, at best all he could do was guess at the times based on his own internal clock and how long the travel had felt to be.

Vault, despite what must have been a long day for them, was still buzzing with activity, though Felix hardly felt any of it was positive as he and Garet went asking about Jenna, Ivan, and the thieves.

Many they spoke to were simply visitors, forced to wait around outside as they had no homes to go to, trapped in Vault until the town and Hammet's guards cleared everyone of suspicion. A general consensus seemed to be that if they wanted to help then Felix and Garet should speak with the mayor.

They soon found themselves sitting across from the man himself in his own home, his eyes quietly studying them after they had said they wanted to help.

"So," the mayor began, "you think you can help?"

"Well," Felix scratched the back of his head, not enjoying the pressure he suddenly found himself under, "we'd like to."

"And what makes you think you can? Hammet himself searched for most of the day, and his guards have been doing much the same since his departure."

"Well, yeah..." Garet spoke up, having somehow found the courage to also grab a cookie from a plate on the table between them. "But, we weren't here for any of that. No bias because we know people or saw them looking suspicious when Hammet was here."

"Plus, we'll only be here for the night," Felix added. "We are heading north as soon as possible."

"To Lunpa, then?" The mayor's lips tightened as he studied them over steepled fingers.

Felix shook his head, "No, past Bilibin first. A town called uhh…" His brow furrowed as he tried his best to remember the names he had seen on his map, "Imil."

The mayor reclined back into his seat a little at that, a small smile hitting him as Garet hesitated to grab another cookie, before he nodded. "I see. Well, while your help would be greatly appreciated, I'm not quite sure what we could even offer you in the way of advice on the matter."

"What was stolen? We only really know the bare details of what happened because of the eruption."

"Yes, frightful business that," the mayor nodded as he handed Felix a scroll that had been sitting on the table between them this whole time. "A list of all of Hammet's stolen goods, including the missing items reported by everyone currently present in Vault."

Felix let out a heavy breath while Garet whistled as the list unfurled. On it were rows and rows of items, stock, quantities, descriptions, value, and simple counts of gold too. How could thieves have managed to pilfer this much in a single day?

"We have no suspects as of yet. We have done our best to interview each and every person, traders, villagers, farmers, guards, travellers, warriors, but to no luck. It doesn't quite help that the eruption has everyone shaken and afraid, I feel for those who wish to return to their families."

"What if we do find them?" Garet asked quickly, "Like… do we get anything?"

"Garet." Felix's tone was harsh and the redhead sat back away from yet another cookie he was reaching for.

"Sorry," He replied quietly, before looking back at the mayor. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. Of course we'll help either way it's just… we're kind of short on gold… and we got attacked a lot on the way here but new weapons are kind of out of our budget…"

The mayor chuckled, gesturing to the cookie plate for Garet to take another, "I do understand, and we would certainly be in debt to you if you could solve these problems in just a single night. However, I cannot guarantee any form of reward, from either the town or Lord Hammet."

"We'll do our best," Felix nodded to the mayor, standing up and sighing as he watched Garet grab yet another cookie before following after him.

"You literally just ate dinner." Felix said as he and Garet looked down on Vault from outside the mayor's home.

"Dessert." Garet smirked as he shoved the last cookie into his mouth.

* * *

Both Felix's mind and body were exhausted, completely drained. He and Garet had spent the better part of an hour checking in with anyone and everyone they could, explaining they had been hired by the mayor to help return the stolen goods.

Upon hearing that each and every person started to tell some tale or another about how important or how valuable what they lost was, and how the absolutely needed it back, or how he and Garet should hurry up because they wanted to leave Vault.

After it all they had nothing but headaches.

"This is going nowhere," Garet sighed as he plopped down in a chair next to Felix at the inn.

"Yeah." Felix replied as he stared at the wood of the table he was at, going back over each face and speech to try and find something he might have missed in the moment. For the life of him though, he couldn't find anything out of line, no one even _looked_ suspicious.

Not that he would have been able to tell anyway. What did the average thief even look like?

 _Jenna._

Felix shook his head, trying to focus.

"Dude, don't sweat it. If we can't help we can't help. Can't just peek inside their minds and find out who did what," Garet gave a few strong pats onto his back. "We can't let this bog us down."

Felix sighed and leaned back eyes turning up to the ceiling. He didn't much like that conclusion, whether the blame for this rested with him or not it still felt wrong for him to think about leaving tomorrow while the town still struggled through it.

It was then that he overheard the innkeeper and his wife about having their son out this late and damages to the roof, hiring a professional, how dangerous outside was. He wasn't really paying attention fully.

"Huh…" Garet made a face as he looked over to the innkeepers. "Did anyone check out the space under the inn's roof?"

Felix turned an incredulous glance to Garet, wondering just what the hell he was talking about before it hit him. "Ohhh… uhh, a couple of the guards mentioned the guy who's up there fixing it? Nothing about the space itself I think?"

With an unspoken agreement the two boys were on their feet and out the door second later, quickly scaling the ladder to the roof and dropping through a hole large enough for them.

Dust exploded upward and clouded around them as their feet hit the floor, bringing both boys to a quick coughing fit.

"W-who's there!?" A shaky voice called out.

With the dust and the darkness neither of the boys could see a single thing. A single flash of Psynergy from Garet was all it took to get a fire brimming in his hands to cast enough light out over the space they were in.

Garet quickly grabbed a piece of wood and ignited it while extinguishing his own Psynergetic flame so as not to scare whoever was in there with them.

A man perhaps about their age was shielding his eyes from the light, hopefully having missed Garet's display of Psynergy, from a slumped position on the floor. It looked to be the same person they had seen fixing the roof earlier–which would make him the innkeeper's son.

"Are you okay?" Felix crouched beside the man, worried that perhaps he had fallen through the hole while attempting to fix it and hurt himself.

"I dunno…" The man replied. "I dropped down here to fix the damage the eruption did to the floor."

He gestured and Felix followed his finger to a large gap that doubtless led into one of the inn's rooms below.

"I was doing my best to patch it up when I heard something in the attic. I went to check it out but something must have knocked me out."

"Garet." Felix gestured toward a hole in the wall as he helped the man sit up.

Garet nodded and moved carefully toward the splintered wood that likely led to an attic storage space of some kind. Felix was at his side once the innkeeper's son seemed more stable, both of them carefully climbing through the hole.

Garet held the torch high–casting light across the much larger space they were now in–and illuminated a small selection of dusty boxes. Whoever had attacked the innkeeper's son had probably left before Felix and Garet got there, but still they may have led some clue behind.

They both moved slowly through the attic space, hyper aware of just how much the floorboards seemed to creak with each step. In the torchlight Felix spotted a box that seemed to be opened, it's contents spilled around it.

"Hey, look at that," Felix gestured, prompting Garet to direct as much light toward it as possible.

As they drew closer, a cloud of dust was kicked up when someone knocked the box over in front of them, before an explosion of smoke swallowed their vision.

"Thief!" Garet yelled, swinging his torch blindly as he coughed through the dust and smoke.

The two of them did their best to chase him despite the conditions, finding their way back to the splintered wall, past the innkeeper's son, and back out onto the roof of the inn. Still coughing from the dust in their lungs, and blinking the tears from the smoke out their eyes, the boys did their best to locate the thief.

"There!" Garet coughed, seeing a man with a purple cloak fleeing towards Vault's cemetery.

Felix quickly gave chase with Garet hot on his heels as they rounded their way up past the mayor's house to the upper level up Vault and back around towards the gravestones. The man was quick, and athletic, making jumps and shortcuts that neither Felix nor Garet would have even attempted–each one putting more distance between he and them.

A minute later both of them had reached Vault's cemetery, surrounded by gravestones as they looked around as best they could for any sign of the thief. They checked behind each gravestone and statue but could find no trace of the man.

"What the hell?" Garet asked to no one in particular. "He couldn't have just disappeared, right?"

Felix looked around. The only other real way past this point was to try and jump down outside of the town and try to run, but with Hammet's guards surrounding the town and the empty plains Vault was situated in there was nowhere for him to escape to outside the town.

"He has to be nearby," Felix said. "Let's keep looking."

 _The earth isn't right here._

Felix heard Echo's voice in his head. It made sense for the ground to have been disturbed considering where they were.

 _Use your Psynergy to feel for it._

Felix followed the Djinni's instruction and crouched down, placing a hand against the earth and allowing his Psynergy to flow through him and it. He focused quietly, gently pulsing with Psynergy as he felt the soil, dirt, and rock beneath him, the same way he would when calling upon it for a _Quake_ or _Spire_.

"There." Felix pointed out an unassuming patch of ground close to the centre of the cemetery. While it looked just as everything else did, Felix had felt nothing beneath the top layer, a gap in the earth that stretched downward.

The two of them crouched beside and felt around the patch Felix indicated, before getting a grasp underneath the false ground and lifting it away to reveal a shaft leading down below the graveyard.

"He's down there huh…" Garet asked simply as they stared down the hole into what was most likely a crypt in the early days of Vault.

"Yep," Felix responded plainly.

Neither of them moved first.

"Fire wielders first." Felix offered, gesturing to the torch Garet still had in his hand.

"Aw, come on," Garet whined, looking from Felix and the hole a few times before eventually conceding and starting a climb watched for a few seconds before following after his friend, doing his best to grip the prongs of the ladder leading down in the scattered light from Garet's torch.

"Creepy…" Garet whispered as the two touched down on solid ground.

"Shh," Felix whispered back. "They might not expect us to have found them."

Garet responded with a quick nod and extinguished his torch. The two stood in darkness for a few moments before their eyes started to adjust the low amount of light in the cave–most of it seeming to emanate from somewhere deeper inside.

Slowly, and as quietly as they could, they moved against the walls of the cavern toward whatever the source of the light was.

"–have no idea."

Felix stopped abruptly as he heard a voice from around another corner, earning himself a clumsy bump from Garet behind him.

"You better be sure they don't." A second voice.

"Relax," First voice again. "They were nowhere near me when I opened up the tunnel, there's no way they saw me."

Felix did his best to peek around the corner without revealing himself. Three cloaked figures were standing around a small fire with piles of boxes and bags piled up all around them. If there had been any doubt before there was none now.

"What do we do?" Garet whispered as he too observed the scene.

"I don't–"

"We're leaving tonight," A third voice, from the taller of the three. "I don't really care if you were seen or not, I'm sick of this town and everyone in it."

"How are we supposed to get out safely though?"

"I went searchin'. These caves lead to a little place just outside the town. Should be able to slip out and get to Lunpa before anyone even catches a glimpse of us."

"I don't think we'll be able to take all this with us, boss."

"Course not. But we don't need to take it all, no one will find it. We'll take what we can to Lunpa then come back for the rest. 'Sides, if they do find it, we'll already be gone."

"Seems a shame to leave so much after all the work."

Garet grumbled beside Felix. "We can't let them get away."

Felix nodded. He didn't fancy the idea of leaving to warn Vault about where the thieves are, they could easily be gone by the time they got back. By the same token, though, he didn't want to start a fight.

Right now, that seemed to be the better choice… Then again, not warning Vale is exactly what he thought to be the lesser of his options before going into the Sanctum.

"What do we do?" Garet whispered.

Felix paused. He was hesitating to go with what he thought to be right. Last time he had everything had fallen apart, a deeper part of him knew it was impossible for this decision to have as bad an effect on Weyard and its people and yet…

What if he got he and Garet killed? These men probably had no problem killing the two of them to get away with their ill-gotten goods. Could he…?

"Felix?" Garet gave him a little shove in the shoulder.

"Let's stop them."

The words were quietly out of him the moment Garet jostled him, before he had even realised they'd come. Their hands were ready on their weapons as they rounded the corner.

"No Psynergy." Felix whispered before they came into the open.

Vale had always taught them to never use their Psynergy to harm others, especially against non-Adepts. Even having used Psynergy to defend themselves on the journey from Vale to Vault would have been heavily frowned upon had there been anyone to observe them doing it.

"Hey!" Garet's voice echoed off the walls.

The three men jumped up–only one having the reflexes to draw his weapon immediately–as Garet and Felix blocked off the way out of the small alcove they had settled themselves into.

"Give back what you stole!"

The other two had managed to grab their weapons as their boss took a step forward with his.

"Stole? I suppose you can prove that we didn't obtain these goods through legal means then?"

They both paused at that. Technically they couldn't prove anything. They hadn't seen any of these men take anything, nor could they identify any stolen items from the bags and boxes.

Felix responded first. "If you didn't then you won't mind waiting here while we fetch a few guards to check, will you?"

"Brats."

The bandit glared at Felix and Garet, all five of them with hands ready on their weapons. A strange flash of steel from the bandit's sword shone out and with a howl he was upon Felix, three quick consecutive slashes crashing against Felix's own sword.

It was inhuman.

Garet responded quickly with a slash that had the bandit jump away, the two thieves he was with quickly closing the distance between all of them.

Felix leapt forward with a slash at one while Garet dashed toward the other. The sounds of steel clanging together echoed around the cave as the sparks and shines from the blades cast deep shadows across each face.

Slash.

Block. Block.

Push back.

Parry into counter.

Dodge then strike.

Felix did his best to put into practice the weapons training he, Garet, and Isaac had done over the years since the Boulder, but these thieves were much more experienced and each strike felt like it was an attempt at being lethal. No help that they were outnumbered too.

The thieves leader was doing all he could to take advantage of that fact, jumping into a clash between either of the pairs to capitalise on it. The boys weren't so easily driven back yet they still ended up with more than their share of cuts in comparison to the thieves.

They couldn't win this. Not with swords alone, Felix realised. The thieves were more skilled, more ruthless, and had the numbers advantage over them.

Garet and his opponent came to a clash again, both pressing their blades tight against the other. Felix gave a swift kick toward his, channeling his Psynergy in the few seconds he was granted as the thief dodged away from him.

"Garet!" Felix yelled and pointed above his friend as rocks started to tumble down from the cave walls onto where he was fighting.

The Mars Adept quickly doubled backward as he saw the Psynergetic flow around Felix disappear, but the thief had no such luck and pressed forward–only to be caught under the rockslide.

The fight came to a brief halt as the four left standing looked at where the rocks had fallen. The man was groaning, likely a few broken bones, but alive. The sneaky _Quake_ Felix had summoned had been small enough to not cause any fatal damage.

With a howl the bandit was trading blows with Garet, three lightning fast slashes clashing against Garet's sword. Felix reengaged his own opponent, suddenly feeling much more confident now that it was an even fight.

He pressed the attack onto the thief, forcing him backward as he focused his Psynergy into the ground behind the thief. A small outcropping of a _Spire_ was enough to make the thief stumble backwards into the piles of loot.

Amidst the confusion Felix was able to land a solid slice across the thief's weapon arm before bashing the pommel of his sword against the thief's head. The man collapsed backward, unconscious, with a clattering of gold and steel amidst the bags and boxes.

Felix quickly doubled back to join Garet, forcing the bandit to back up cautiously at the sudden disadvantage he found himself in.

Garet was panting heavily, numerous cuts across his arms and sides, as he readied his stance next to Felix. Felix fixed his gaze onto the bandit, gripping his blade tightly with one hand while the other rested on Garet's shoulder. Unseen by the bandit _Cure_ was working vines in stitches over some of Garet's cuts before leaving them smooth once again.

Another howl.

Felix did not see the bandit's mouth move as he was suddenly upon them and realised the screech he had been hearing was from the weapon itself, not dissimilar from the sound of Psynergy being cast.

The boys were ready though, used to the attacks the bandit threw at them each time they had heard the howl, and dodged or blocked each strike before countering with their own. Even still, with a numbers advantage, the bandit had them on the defensive. His strikes were practiced, decisive and quick.

No opening truly presented itself to them. Felix called upon Echo as Garet blocked another strike, raw Venus Psynergy flowing into both his arms and his blade as he brought them into an upward strike against the bandit.

The bandit blocked, but with the force generated by Echo–essentially that of two men behind one swing–the bandit's grip faltered and his weapon went spiraling backward into the piles of stolen goods.

Garet was quick to take advantage of the bandit's broken guard and brought a heavy fist square into his face.

The bandit collapsed with a thud.

"No Psynergy, huh?" Garet panted, wiping sweat and blood from his face.

Felix shrugged, panting back as he worked another _Cure_ through Garet's body. "We weren't going to win that normally. Made it look like we got lucky."

"I guess me shooting a fireball would be something other than lucky," Garet chuckled back, letting out a relieved breath as the pain in his body was eased by Felix's Psynergy.

Felix let out a quick laugh, adrenaline still pumping quickly through every fibre of his body. He slowed his breathing, doing his best to reign himself in, as he worked his healing Psynergy over each of their cuts.

An excited mind is a dangerous one. The Sages of Vale had told him that, explaining that it was when Adepts could unleash Psynergies they didn't intend or want to. So, he needed to calm himself.

"What do we do now?" Garet asked once they were both healed up, gesturing to the three thieves.

"I'll tie 'em up, you go tell the mayor," Felix replied as he went to move the rocks from on top of the unlucky first thief.

* * *

The mayor had been almost displeased at being awoken. Upon hearing the news, however, he had summoned members of the town guard, who had followed Garet down into the catacombs.

The thieves were in varying states of consciousness, with the leader being the most aware of his surroundings. He tried to bargain and plead for their freedom, but to no avail; they were all going to jail, for a very long time.

"Stealing in the middle of a disaster?!" The mayor had exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?!"

But then there was the matter of alerting Lord Hammet… Who had last been seen heading north. Thankfully, the mayor had a solution–they would alert Kalay, a merchant town to the south that Lord Hammet was from, that their stolen treasures had been found, and that they should come and retrieve them, hopefully as soon as possible–but with the bridge broken down, who knew how long that would be.

With the villagers coming in and getting what was accounted for as theirs, it left a few things behind–primarily Hammet's goods, but also a statue from the Sanctum, the mayor's urn, and a strange rod.

"I had seen this with Ivan," the mayor began, sighing deeply as he held it tight, "so I rightfully believe it was his or Lord Hammet's. But with Ivan gone…"

"We'll return it to Kalay when we have repaired the bridge," One of Hammet's guards spoke up, stepping away from taking stock of the remaining goods in the cave.

Felix was silent for a long moment. He bit his tongue, deep in thought, as he scratched the back of his head. Finally, he spoke: "I have reason to believe we are traveling the same way as those who kidnapped Ivan."

The mayor and the guard both lifted an eyebrow.

"That group… there was two others with them, an old man, and a blonde boy about our age."

The guard nodded, having been one of the few to see Jenna's group entering Vault.

"They were kidnapped from Vale and we're in pursuit. Garet and I are hoping to save them." Felix explained, concealing small bits of the truth as to not alarm anyone. "We're heading to Imil because we heard the kidnappers mention it." A small lie.

"And?" The guard responded, holding the rod close.

"We could rescue Ivan as well, with that rod as proof that we've been sent by Kalay."

"Hammet is to our immediate north," the mayor said, "so I'd prefer to see it brought directly to him."

"We'd dare not risk bringing this rod close to Lunpa, even if Hammet is safe," The guard said, then sighed. "And in the same vein we cannot risk word that it is here reaching Lunpa before we can safely return to Kalay. Dodonpa no doubt knows Hammet values this item very highly and would not be above coming here to claim it."

Felix nodded along as the mayor and the guard discussed matters that didn't exactly concern him. They talked back and forth about the situation and the politics involving Kalay, Vault, and Lunpa, as well as the risks of trusting Hammet's rod to Felix and Garet. Technically Felix did not even require this rod in order to rescue Ivan, but if Ivan saw both his kidnappers and rescuers using Psynergy then perhaps he would not be so welcome to their rescue.

Not that he could blame him, Psynergy untamed was a frightening concept to Adepts, he could only imagine what it might seem like to a simple merchant's son.

"You may take it," The guard said, after the mayor had vouched for how trustworth Felix and Garet were considering their actions to stop the thieves, offering the rod to Felix.

"We'll see him rescued and both returned to Kalay safely." Felix took both the rod and a letter the guard quickly penned as an official document that hired them for the purpose of rescuing Ivan. He supposed as merchants guards they would want consistent records of everything.

"You are too kind. We owe you so much," The mayor said softly, smiling at Felix and Garet. "Thank you. You have brought stability to our small town."

Felix nodded, the mayor and guards returned to finish taking stock of Hammet's stock, picking up the bandit's sword to examine it. Now that he had time to study it closely he could see that it almost seemed to glow, not very much, but enough for him to recognise as the silvery light of Psynergy. Perhaps non-Adepts would not even see or hear the strangeness behind this weapon.

Felix didn't know how this weapon did what it did, where it came from, who made it, or even how old it was, but he couldn't leave something this helpful on the floor of the Vault caves.

He quickly sheathed the blade behind him, keeping his previous sword strapped to his waist just in case, as Garet did his best to bargain for some supplies from Hammet's stock from the guards.

 _Hey Felix_ , Echo gently nudged Felix's cheek, manifesting for a brief moment. _I feel a friend of mine down this tunnel. Can you find them? They're a Venus Djinni, like me._

Felix nodded and nudged Garet–now brandishing a brand new axe, and a small bag of assorted gear that he'd been able to either get as a reward or discounted–murmuring, "Echo senses a Djinni down this tunnel. Let's go find it, yeah?"

Since the mayor seemed to be preoccupied, and nodded when Felix and Garet excused themselves, the two quickly took their way down the tunnel. The catacomb was hollowed out, most traps deactivated, most likely by the thieves, and soon enough, they arrived not too far outside of Vault.

Eyes peeled for the Djinni, Felix and Garet were still not looking down, and Felix went tumbling–right over it. It was a Venus, no doubt about it–the same browns and blue eyes that made up Echo made up this particular friend, and it bounced around, chittering for a moment, before it crawled up over Felix and to Garet, bouncing around, and then disappearing in a flash of lights, which rested on Garet, before dissipating.

"Do you feel any different?" Felix asked as he stood up, wiping his clothes.

"Kind of?" Garet answered with a question of his own. "I feel… warm. Kind of stiff. And my Psynergy feels different somehow. It's… kinda weird. It's mine and it's not."

 _He should have access to Venus Psynergy_ , explained Echo, _because he bonded with Sap, a Venus Djinni._

Felix nodded and explained the same to Garet, who paled to small extent and asked; "How do I use it then?"

Sap manifested itself on Garet's head, tucked away safely in Garet's hair, chittering again, but in a way that seemed to be understood by Garet. Garet held out a hand as as the Psynergetic rings formed around him, the plant life nearby _grew_ , from their ankles to their knees, and Garet grinned immensely.

"Nice." Felix grinned as well, amazed to see his Mars Adept friend grow plant life rather than crushing it under a training pillar. If only Kay could see him now. "Now, let's get back to the inn, yeah? Who knows what's out here in… I think it's the middle of the night."

Felix looked up at the sky, all joy leaving him as he saw nothing but ashy darkness. He looked down at the ground as the two made their way back to the inn, and when they arrived, they crashed in their available space, sleeping well until morning.

* * *

Come morning, the boys were setting out, bleary eyed, but not willing to wait much longer. Already, the enemy was ahead of them–and Felix wanted nothing more than to catch them before they made it to Imil.

North wasn't much of an option–as the guards reiterated when they left that morning. If Hammet had been taken captive when he travelled north then Kalay would be the one to deal with Lunpa. Felix would have liked to help, but they had more pressing issues. Instead, they headed east, towards the caves that would take them to Bilibin, and beyond.

Travel was much the same as it had been the first day. Quakes still shook the ground, ash and psynergy still fell from the blotted out sky, and monsters attacks were numerous. Thankfully, with the armour and supplies Garet had managed to bargain for–as well as the power of a second Djinni and a Psynergetically enhanced blade–the fights took much less out of the pair.

Regardless, they did their best to end each fight as quickly as they could or to avoid them all together if possible. Jenna and the others already had a day of travel on them, and with their numbers and strength Felix doubted if they would be slowed much at all by the monsters.

Felix hoped that perhaps Isaac and Kraden, maybe even Ivan, could slow their progress, none of them being used to extended travel, and give Felix some measure of catching up to them.

He dared to hope that maybe Jenna would take pity on them and convince the others to slow down for their sake.

Then again… she was a traitor, a thief, and a kidnapper now.

How much of his sister could he really hope still existed?

* * *

Sky: Special shoutout to droory for providing the meat of this chapter! Also special shoutout to all our lovely readers, we hope you enjoyed it!

Droory: Thanks so much for reading! Really hope you enjoyed it, events should start speeding up in the story after this so look forward to that!  
Thanks again,  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	4. A Cursed Winter

Hey all, we hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Felix, do you even know where we're going?" Garet's voice was low, agitable. For good reason; they had been walking in the same set of caves for days now, and Felix was next to positive they had seen the same hall in the past hour.

"Somewhere." Felix replied with a grunt.

Felix understood why Garet was so irritable, he wasn't in a much better mood himself, but being questioned definitely wasn't helping things along. Every cave looked exactly the same, save for maybe traces of used Psynergy here and there, and every moment they spent lost was another advantage for Jenna's group.

Felix had been doing his best to keep note of where they were and which passageways they had travelled, even using his Psynergy to feel his way through the earth to the outside a few times, and yet it still seemed fruitless.

Worse still was the constant monster attacks, it felt like they could not walk five steps without some other beast or creature coming at them from some hole in the wall. The fights were quickly draining them both physically and emotionally.

"Felix-"

"I don't know, Garet," Felix's response was terse as he leaned against his wall to catch a breath after dispatching the latest group of assailants.

"No, you idiot, look."

Felix was ready to snap back at Garet but found the redhead pointing down through another passageway.

Daylight.

With two broad smiles exchanged both boys started off at a run toward the exit they hoped Garet had just found. It felt like they both burst forward out of the cave; breathing in deep lungfuls of the fresh air.

"Let's never go through there again," Garet panted, falling to his knees before exhaling a sigh of relief as he felt soft earth beneath him.

Felix did much the same, turning his face upward to enjoy the freedom from the caves. Venus Adept or no, being trapped in a dark labyrinth was not his ideal way to spend time.

Above the two of them the sky was still very much blanketed in the fallout from Mt. Aleph, but it was starting to break up. Here and there were patches where sunlight could shine through, Felix hoped that it would be gone by the time they reached Imil.

* * *

It felt like forever since getting out of the Goma Cave and crossing the vast plains of Bilibin's territory before the boys finally reached the city proper. The journey never seemed to allow them rest–or rather they never allowed it for themselves–they had to keep moving as quick as they could if they were to catch up to Jenna before the Mercury Beacon was ignited.

"I can't wait to sleep in a proper bed again," Garet sighed loudly, rotating his shoulders and stretching as he spoke.

Felix had to admit, the ground wasn't the comfiest of resting places even with tents and bedrolls. He wondered if Isaac, Ivan, and Kraden were experiencing the same, maybe slowing down Jenna's group a little.

They passed through Bilibin's gates, Garet pressing onwards deeper into the town whereas Felix had come to a full stop.

That tree.

It didn't feel… right. Venus Psynergy pulsed all around it in some twisted way. He could feel the power of it travelling through the ground and up into his body, making him feel almost sick. Had the Psynergy crystals from the eruption corrupted the earth around Bilibin in some way?

The tree Felix found himself face to… face, he now realised, seemed to tell him exactly that. As though the face of a man was screaming and swearing at him from within the wood, berating him for unleashing a portion of Alchemy's power onto Weyard yet again.

 _Push past, we can't heal this._

Felix wasn't quite sure what Echo meant, but didn't really question it. He just wanted to put as much distance between himself and whatever corruption of the same power that flowed through him was made manifest at the Bilibin entrance.

He found himself breathing a little easier as he got away from the tree and found Garet not too deep into town, observing a crowd of men at a local market.

"What are they doing?" Felix asked as he approached.

"Gearing up, by the looks of it," Garet replied, pointing out that the armoury was set up at the centre of the group.

"They don't look like guardsmen or soldiers."

"I've heard a few of em shout about a reward, haven't been able to make sense of it though," Garet clucked his tongue and shrugged. "Haven't really been listening, just wanted to see if there was anything worth buying here that Vault didn't have."

Felix frowned a bit, before he began looking around the area. "Did you see the tree up front?"

"I think everyone has," Garet's tone was grim. "But you look… perturbed about it."

"It felt like it talking to me, Garet. Like… Like how the djinn do. It… Whatever it is now–I think it was a person, before," Felix swallowed. "I think we should find out what happened–even though I know we both know what happened."

Garet gave Felix a sombre look, eyes briefly turning to the sky. Ash still fell as it had that first day all those weeks ago, changing the world for the worse.

Had it already been months? With all that had happened–it didn't feel like it.

Felix could still see Jenna's face so clearly in his mind.

Felix shook his head, not wanting to think about Jenna. Not right now. Instead, he asked Garet, "So, what supplies did you see?"

"Well," Garet began a rapid-fire report. "Bilibin, being a larger city, must have a proper town guard, compared to Vale, and a bigger one than Vault did. I saw a few merchants–locals, mostly–selling metal armour and weapons, compared to Vale and Vault's armouries."

Felix nodded for another moment, before he said, "Business must be booming, then. It certainly looks like it."

Garet shrugged. "Like I said–wasn't paying attention to what was being said."

"Ye boys will wanna go see Lord McCoy if yer interested in the reward."

Both of them jumped and turned to find a large man with an equally huge axe standing behind them.

"E-excuse me?" Felix replied, trying to find his knowledge of common Weyard tongue through the man's accent.

"Sorry fer eavesdroppin'. But if yer fixing to find out what's givin' that armourer more work then he's had in years then McCoy is the way to go. Chances are ye won't get anything if yer not part of the mission."

"Mission?" Garet asked, turning back to look at the crowd of warriors at the blacksmith.

"McCoy's to the north of the town, go ask him if yer interested, might even find yerself a free room fer the night at the inn if yer lucky."

With that the man wandered off, but not before pointing toward a pathway that would lead Felix and Garet toward the Lord of Bilibin. The boys both shrugged to each other, not really having anything to lose if they went to meet the Lord, before heading off toward the McCoy Palace.

As they got nearer to the palace they found themselves flanked on both sides by statues of a woman. To say it made Felix uncomfortable to have this woman glaring down at him with some air of superiority despite just being a statue would be an understatement. He was more than happy when he reached the doors to McCoy's palace and was free of any more statues that looked down on him… now he just had two palace guards sizing him up instead.

"Here to fulfill the Lord's request?"

"I dunno, they seem awful young."

"The choice is down to the Lord, I dinnae like it much more than ye."

"Hang on, we don't even know what's happening!" Garet said loudly, no doubt a little annoyed at being dismissed as young before they'd gotten a word in.

"We'll bring ye to the Lord, he'll explain," a guard said as he pushed open the doors to the palace and prompted the two of them to follow him.

The inside of the palace was a grand affair, and unfortunately offered more statues, busts, and paintings of the same woman that had judged Felix and Garet as they had walked to the palace.

"Uh… not to be rude, but who's the woman in these paintings?" Felix asked as they moved down the grand hallway toward a pair of large double doors.

"Lady McCoy, the Lord's wife," the guard replied. "This mess is her fault… just don't let the Lord know I told ye that."

Felix and Garet exchanged equally awkward looks before the guard guided them in to the Lord's office and announced the arrival of more warriors to take up the quest to Kolima.

"Warriors ye say?" The Lord's accent boomed out, thicker and louder than any others the Valeans had heard yet, "Well, don't just stand there lad, c'mere and lemme git a good look at ye!"

Not quite the mannerisms Felix had expected of a Lord, but they both stepped closer to his desk. The Lord himself was a fairly stout and portly man, something that only seemed to be compounded on as he reclined in his chair to study the boys.

"Welcome to Bilibin, lads. The name's McCoy."

"Felix."

"Garet."

"A pleasure, lads."

McCoy went silent and leaned forward in his chair, hand stroking the small red goatee on his chin as he studied the two Valean warriors.

"Ye think ye can handle the curse, eh?" McCoy spoke after a few moments.

"Um, apologies, Lord, I'm afraid we have only recently arrived in your city. We know nothing of the request you've put out," Felix replied, casting a sideward glance to Garet.

McCoy raised an eyebrow as he leaned back into his chair, "Yer strange ones to be sure. But since yer here I'll not waste yer time. I'm sure ye know 'bout that eruption a while back, aye?"

The boys nodded, keeping silent on just how much they knew about it.

"Things've gone south since then, ye see. Me wife wanted a palace built for her, so we had hired the lumberjacks and craftsmen from Kolima to build one. The forest itself came alive after the eruption, placed a curse upon all those in there, poor souls."

"That tree at the gates…" Felix said quietly.

"Aye, that's the one. Used to be one of the workers I'd sent to Kolima ye see, so I'm looking fer warriors to fight the forest to break the curse."

"And the ones you've already sent?" Garet asked.

McCoy's expression dropped to a grim frown, "Not a one's returned. Barricaded the only route to Kolima to keep headstrong fools from headin' off to their doom."

"And those warriors at the armourer now?"

"They know the risks, I explained it fully to 'em. The reward the wife's offered is too tempting fer 'em to see sense."

"Reward?" Garet spoke up, leaning forward slightly.

"Aye, she wants the mansion of hers finished. The ones who help her get that earn 'emselves a large sum of gold and whatever items our city can provide 'em."

Felix and Garet exchanged glances, they could certainly use a bit more gold. The only funds and items they had on them were found on the ground after they defeated monsters, hardly enough for a full resupply of equipment whenever they needed.

"And," McCoy's voice cut bought boys out of their thoughts, "while I appreciate yer interest in this matter, I cannae justify sending ye boys off to yer doom."

"Well… we'd love to help, if we could," Felix said, "but we're in a bit of a hurry north. We don't really have time to spare to head all the way south and around to Kolima."

McCoy nodded before standing and walking around his desk, "Aye, that's fer the best, lads. Dinnae worry 'bout Bilibin, this Kolima mess will be sorted out."

McCoy shook both Garet's and Felix's hands, thanking them for their time and interest in helping his city, before sending them on their way with his best wishes. The guard guided them out of the palace, explaining to them that it would likely be best to head toward Kalay via Vault if they needed to go south.

He didn't think the curse would be broken any time soon.

* * *

The following morning, Garet and Felix set their sights north. Much to their dismay, the way to Imil would be full of caves–and from there, snow like they had never seen before.

Or so they had been told when they told the innkeeper where they were heading. Imil was a land of harsh weather even during the mildest of summers, due to the far northern regions, and the fact it was a coastal town.

"Let's hope we get there before it snows," Felix said as he and Garet left Bilibin.

"You're telling me," Garet shuddered.

Their quest was somehow less dangerous than the Goma Range; perhaps the two–with the help of Echo and Sap, and their new Jupiter Djinni Gust they had found hidden in a cave beneath Bilibin–were growing stronger in a short amount of time. Or, perhaps, the further away they got from Sol Sanctum, the less the effects of the Psynergy spread.

Perhaps it was a mix of both. Felix personally believed more of the former, than the latter, the image of the twisted man-tree in Bilibin still fresh in his mind.

But the cold of winter came when they reached the caves. Felix wasn't sure what this particular mountain range was called, only that he knew for a fact it was called the Bilibin Caves–perhaps because Imil was further north, and had other, more pressing problems that came with an early onset of cold.

They had heard that Imil often suffered from a seasonal flu, especially in the winter time, as winter tended to bring illness.

These caves were much easier to navigate than the Goma Range, however monsters lurked inside these tunnels, much stronger than anything Felix and Garet had faced before. Ghouls and trolls–monsters from the Angara bestiaries that Kraden had once had the boys study–often thought to be more afraid of humans than humans were of them, had begun to attack in full force.

If it weren't for Felix's Psynergy being able to _Cure_ them, then Felix and Garet would be in a much tighter spot than they currently were in.

Psynergy became more of a necessity during these fights; as much as both Felix and Garet loathed to admit it, their fighting skills were not as capable as they wished–especially as these types of monsters seemed to have some sort of basic intelligence to them, unlike the Psynergetically powered animals which Felix and Garet had grown accustomed to.

"Dodge!" Felix called as he slammed his shield into a ghoul. Felix's eyes were locked onto Garet for a long moment, before Garet slid just barely under a troll's axe.

Gasping for air, Garet swung his own axe into the troll. Felix was dragged back to his own fight as he felt the gnome bludgeon him with its staff.

Felix winced, holding out a hand, before he began to cast a Psynergy. It took less than a moment to decide, the plants coming out of the ground with _Growth_. Felix gripped his hand into a fist, watching as spiky thorns came out of the plants, before the gnome screamed. The gnome dissipated into the blue sparkling glow, which disappeared into Felix.

That was… Certainly different. However, Felix didn't question it. Casting another _Growth_ on the troll, Felix got the same effect.

Echo chirped out a word that sounded like ' _Thorn_ ' to Felix's ears, and Felix noted grimly that they must be growing stronger, if their Psynergy was adapting.

Quickly, with a _Burst_ from Garet, the troll was dispatched. Felix grabbed Garet by the hand, casting another _Cure_ on Garet, before the two took off running quickly. If they wanted to get out of these caves, they'd have to move quickly; there was no time to waste. If they didn't get to Imil before the beacon was lit…

Felix didn't want to think of what would happen.

It took them a few good days to make it through the caves, and when they arrived on the other side, Felix shivered in the cold.

Nothing had prepared them for this. In Vale, the winters were mild, at best–nothing ever too harsh, and the communal nature of Vale allowed for people to recieve aid. But the northern winters were cold–to the point where Felix was seeing his breath.

"Is that… the ocean?" Garet asked, pointing off to something on the horizon.

Felix squinted, taking a few hesitant steps towards it. "I… think it is."

"It's _beautiful_ ," Garet said softly, his eyes widening in awe, "when Kraden described it, I thought it'd be a myth–I never thought I'd see the actual ocean!"

Felix and Garet both grinned at each other–a rare moment of almost carefree behaviour–before they began heading in that direction.

Felix looked around, hoping to spot the Lighthouse. When he looked to the northwest, he saw it–though it appeared further away, maybe another two weeks, if Felix was guessing right.

"Garet–Garet, this way," Felix lightly tugged on Garet's arm and pointed. "We're almost there."

Almost to Jenna. To convince her to bring the Elemental Stars back and come _home_.

To say Felix missed Vale was an understatement.

"Let's go."

The two began to trek their way through the snow and ice and terrible weather. Every so often, they'd have to stop, to warm up, and all Felix could think is how they were losing time, how any day now, the beacon would be lit–and then the beginning of the end of the world would happen.

* * *

When they were finally nearing the Lighthouse and passing by Imil common sense won over their sense of duty. It was late at night and they had been travelling near constantly while taking very little time to rest or camp so as to be sure they caught up to Jenna.

While Felix knew that Jenna and her group would likely camp near the Lighthouse, if not start climbing it immediately, there was nothing Felix or Garet would be able to do to stop them in the state they were in.

They were frozen to the bone, low on supplies, and exhausted from fighting off corrupted bears and other monsters throughout the frozen tundra over the past two weeks. They needed at least some time to rest, recuperate, get some food, healing, and supplies before they could safely tackle the Lighthouse and confront Jenna.

They found themselves at the inn, shivering and doing their best to warm up by the fireside, while the innkeeper called them fools for travelling so far north at this time of year. Nonetheless they were supplied with a warm meal and beds for the night, despite how late it was.

"Thank you, ma'am," Felix nodded as he took a bowl of soup into his shivering hands.

Garet did much the same, sneakily doing his best to use his Psynergy to warm up the air around the two of them.

"May I ask, would there be anywhere we could buy healing supplies at this time of night?"

"Not likely," The innkeeper responded. "The seasonal flu has swept through Imil again, most of the town is bedridden. The only ones likely to be up and about are the Sanctum healers, and even then only Mia is a qualified healer. At best they might be able to give you some spare herbs."

"I see, have there been any other visitors lately?"

"None, this time of year most people are smart enough to keep away from the north."

Felix and Garet sheepishly nodded in response.

"I see, thank you, ma'am."

The boys took to nursing their meals until the innkeeper left and was out of earshot.

"So what do we do now?" Garet asked, whispering as quiet as he could just in case.

"We don't really have much choice…" Felix wasn't happy about the reality of the situation. "Jenna is probably already pretty close to the Lighthouse, we can't wait through tonight before going after them. We just need to get what we can and go, maybe since we've made a stop we'll be a little more alert than they are."

"When do we go?"

Felix let out a sigh, closing his eyes and feeling them want to remain that way. "Soon. You try and get some rest for a few minutes and I'll go see the healers about any herbs or tonics they might be able to share."

Garet looked like he wanted to protest but simply nodded and gladly drank his soup. Even if he wanted to argue Felix was sure his tired mind and body told him better of it. Felix quickly finished up his soup and tugged his cloak around himself tightly before stepping back out into the frigid air of Imil.

He shivered and held his cloak tighter to himself, trying to keep his mind both off of the cold and the confrontation to come. He did anything to busy his mind with other thoughts, the crackle of lanterns as they cast a soft orange glow on the frozen river and snow piles, or the crunch of ice under his boots as he marched forward and left tracks behind him.

Before he began to stagger across the frozen water to the Sanctum, however, Felix felt a tug towards the waterfall. It felt not quite unlike Echo's tug on him, and Felix moved to head off in that direction. If it was another Djinn, then they could use all the help they could possibly get at this point.

It took Felix a good fifteen minutes, the way he kept sliding, to make it inside the waterfall. But he slid right on up to the Djinni–all red and orange, with bright blue eyes–and quickly reached out a hand towards it.

 _Fever._ It impressed upon Felix's mind as they bonded.

Felix nodded, now aware that that was the Djinni's name, not just a statement of how Imil was. Leaving the waterfall cavern was easier than getting in; Felix slid out, and down the frozen river, til he stopped just in front of the Sanctum.

At the Sanctum doors Felix knocked three times heavily upon them, shivering as a cold gust of air brushed past him, as he waited for the Sanctum elders to answer him. To his surprise it was not elderly sages he was used to seeing in Sanctums who answered but instead a young boy and girl–not much older than Garet's brother he would guess.

"Ah, hello, may I speak to the Sanctum healers?" He asked as gently as he could, realising he had likely woken these two children.

"We are the healers, sir. Lady Mia is helping those in town at the minute," The boy answered.

Felix was stunned into silence for a few moments. Healers at such a young age?

"I'm simply looking for any medical supplies you might be able to spare for injuries, cuts or bruises that kind of thing."

"We've plenty of that, sir," The girl replied, running deeper into the Sanctum before returning a few moments later with a few bags of herbs.

"Injuries aren't all that common in Imil," the boy explained as Felix found the medicines pushed into his arms. "Even when they do happen Mia can heal them without this stuff. It's mainly for us to use if she's busy."

Felix nodded, not really listening. He didn't mean to be rude, he just didn't want to waste his own or the children's time. He produced a coin purse from one of the satchels by his belt and quickly paid the children for the supplies.

"Thank you, healers," he said with a small bow.

The children beamed up at him, clearly glad to be called healers, before wishing him well and closing the Sanctum as he made his way back toward the inn.

"Strange to see travellers at this time of year, or anyone out this late at night."

Felix glanced around curiously before finding a girl in white robes stepping out from one of the nearby houses. She smiled as she approached, the nearby light of a lantern catching the corners of her upturned mouth for Felix to see.

Felix found himself stunned to a stop–this woman looked to be glowing in the lantern light–as she walked toward him, her smile turning to a curious pout as he did so. Light caught on the turquoise hair that fell about and framed her face as she came to a stop in front of him, and Felix found he had lost all words or any means of replying to what she had said… if he could even remember that much.

The girl raised an eyebrow before leaning in a little closer to him, "Are you okay, sir?"

Felix finally caught himself and let out a small cough to try and get his voice back, "Uh y-yes, fine, thank you."

"I'm Mia, Imil's healer," she said, extending a white gloved hand in front of her.

"Felix," he replied, doing his best to shake her hand without dropping the herbs he was carrying.

"What's brought you to Imil?"

Felix found himself unconsciously drawing his lips tighter before letting them out in a breath that fogged between the two of them. He couldn't exactly tell her what he was doing.

"Uh, here for study. Our old teacher used to talk about Mercury Lighthouse so we're just here to see it in person."

Mia's eyes narrowed a little at that and she stared into Felix's own with a look he couldn't quite describe. "Is that right? How many of you are there?"

"Just my friend, Garet, and I," he swallowed a little, uncomfortable at the sudden change of Mia's stance.

"Hmm…" There was a pause before Mia stood back and gave Felix a gentle smile, "Well, I'll have you know that I'm the guardian of Mercury Lighthouse, so if you or Garet should do anything to cause trouble there you'll have to answer to me."

Despite her smile Felix couldn't quite tell if Mia was joking or not. Her expression would have put him at ease, if not for the fact that he was actually there to get inside the Lighthouse to stop others from unlocking it's seal.

"Our teacher told us how sacred and important the Lighthouses are, we'd never dream of doing anything bad there," he replied, more or less the full truth of the matter. Vale had always taught that the Lighthouses were as sacred as Mt. Aleph and not to be disturbed.

"I wouldn't worry, without a member of my clan you couldn't enter the Lighthouse anyway."

Felix was about to ask what she meant before the sky suddenly lit up a fantastic blue–almost looking like it was the middle of the day–before fading back into the inky blackness of the night.

"What was-"

Felix glanced all around before the realisation hit him.

The Lighthouse.

Jenna had already made it there and was beginning the climb.

Before he could do anything he heard running, Mia was already sprinting out of Imil and toward the Lighthouse with speed he hadn't imagined capable in such heavy robes or through such thick snow.

"Hey, wait!" He yelled after her, but she was already gone.

Cursing, he quickly rushed back to the inn, finding Garet already at the door with their travelling bags and equipment. A quick nod was exchanged between the two as they rushed north toward the Lighthouse.

The journey there was hurried and rushed, both boys stumbling over themselves through the knee high snow for the better part of an hour before they found themselves at the pristine tiled surface of the Mercury Lighthouse entrance.

There was no one else to be seen.

The boys rushed headlong through a great archway and into the Lighthouse, knowing that this night would end with a fight.

Sounds of steel reached them as they travelled through the long passageway that led into the Lighthouse. As they got closer Felix could make out the forms of some giant green monster and Mia exchanging blows.

The two of them reached the scene just in time to watch as a shower of icicles materialised above–what Felix could now identify as some form of bipedal lizard–and fell down upon it, stabbing and piercing through its body before it fell to its knees.

Felix and Garet watched in amazement as Mia swung a heavy mace directly upwards, connecting with the jaw of the monster, and winced as they heard the crack and crunch on bone before the monster fell back lifeless.

"Whoa…" Garet breathed out as the lizard dematerialised into a sparkling dust that converged upon Mia.

Mia spun around as she heard him, immediately lifting her mace–fresh with blood from the monster–to point at both of them.

"Out."

Her voice was cold and the order was simple, leave or she would make them.

"W-wait let us explain!" Felix raised his hands doing his best to seem as non-threatening as possible.

"You are not permitted within the Lighthouse, whoever is here I will remove, that is my duty to the Mercury Clan."

"You're a Mercury Adept…" Garet breathed again, realisation hitting him.

Mia's face scrunched up in confusion, but her stance didn't change.

"We're not here to study the Lighthouse. We've been chasing the people who are here," Felix did his best to try and explain quickly, "they kidnapped our friends and stole treasures from Vale, they mean to ignite the Mercury Beacon."

Mia's stance finally relaxed, mace dropping to her side as her eyes went wide.

"The eruption..."

* * *

Our next chapter might be a bit after the usual two week schedule due to the holiday season, but we hope all of you have a wonderful one and hopefully enjoyed this wintery ( :D ) chapter too!

Sky: Henlo and thank you for reading we love u all so much,,,, please let us know what u think in the comments section!

Droory: Thanks for reading, really hope you enjoyed it! We look forward to hearing what you thought and can't wait to bring you more!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	5. The Mercury Beacon

Hey everyone! Sorry this one has taken a while, but we hope you enjoy it!

* * *

The first few minutes of journey through the Lighthouse were tense. Mia's demeanour now was much different from that of the girl Felix had bumped into in Imil just a short while ago.

"...and so that's why we're here," Garet finished up explaining most everything that had happened since they had gone into Sol Sanctum and the Stars had been stolen from the chamber at its heart.

Mia's responses were short and generally tight-lipped as she led in front of the two boys at a rapid pace to catch up to Jenna and the others.

"So, rather than do the sensible thing, you thought it best to steal the Stars yourselves."

When she put it like that Felix couldn't help but feel his face burn with shame.

"We thought we'd be able to keep them safe."

"No, you were manipulated by your teacher… Kraden, you said, correct?" She responded simply, fingers tracing over inscriptions in the turquoise wall beside them.

"What do you mean?"

"It seems to me that Kraden has no more respect for Vale's traditions than this Saturos and Menardi who 'raided' Mt. Aleph," She nodded in what Felix assumed to be understanding at the inscriptions before continuing forward. "He wished to see the secrets of the Sanctum, having even theorised about the Stars, as you say. You were used to gain him safe access to a once in a lifetime chance, and these invaders were the fire he needed to convince you."

Felix exchanged a baffled look with Garet. Had they really been so naive? It was true to say that Kraden had convinced them and even organised the plan to get into Sol Sanctum, and the fact that had they not gone along with the plan neither Kraden nor Isaac would have been taken. Who was to say Jenna and her group would have even been able to get into the Star Chamber?

A sigh from ahead of them.

"I'm sorry," Mia stopped and turned to look at them. "I don't mean to be harsh. I know your hearts were in the right place, foolish though they may have been."

"We can't exactly say you're wrong," Garet shrugged, offering a small grin. "But hey, we're here now to make up for that mistake and we're gonna take it as far as we need."

"You did leave that decision down to me, Garet."

"Um…"

Mia chuckles, "Okay, boys, let's not waste time with stories. The others won't wait for us."

Felix was thankful that Mia was okay with them accompanying her as she scaled the Lighthouse, despite her obligations to her Clan. However, even with her now seemingly relaxed attitude toward them, it was a far call from the calm presence she had when they met before the Lighthouse's seal was undone.

She was still uncomfortable with both of them.

* * *

The Lighthouse wore heavily on both Felix and Garet. They had been travelling all day and were about ready to sleep for the night before having to rush to the Lighthouse. Already low on supplies, stamina, and hardly fully healed from before arriving in Imil, the oppressive energy of Mercury's walls seemed to press down on them both from all angles.

Felix could understand Garet's exhaustion and frustration, being in a place so opposed to his own element would naturally sour one's mood. Felix though… well, his was an entirely different experience.

Water was not something he had a pleasant experience with, nor a too fond memory of, and now he was surrounded by puzzles, mechanisms, and traps, all designed to give the foolish or unprepared a watery grave.

Mia didn't slow to wait for either of them, often progressing to the next room before they had caught up, it was clear where her priorities and concerns were.

So much so that she neglected to warn them that to progress they had to drop a considerable height into a room below before making the choice for them. Luckily their fall seemed to slow to a gentle float just as they approached a platform at the centre of a pool with a large statue looking down upon them.

Garet instinctively grasped Felix's shoulder to steady him as they watched Mia hop over to the statue and activate her Psynergy. The statue pulsed with the same light as Mia as it spoke to them, before the platform beneath Felix and Garet began to glow as well.

Mia hopped back over to them and as she did glowing rings travelled up over each of their bodies before coming to rest above their heads. Mia offered a quick explanation about the ability to walk on water before hurrying them both out from the centre of the pool and deeper into the Lighthouse.

Felix found himself breathing deep at the edge of a still pool as Mia and Garet hopped forward along its surface. Several more breaths passed before Felix eventually took the first step out into the pool, the water beneath his feet glowing with a soft golden hue, while the circles above him dropped in number.

It took Felix several more deep breaths and the need to close his eyes before he found the strength to hop forward a second time. He stumbled a little as he did; one foot slipping from the Psynergetic platform created below him and dipping briefly into the water before he yanked it back out.

His breaths were coming in shakier and longer than before as he tried to shake the excess water from his foot before leaping forward again, following the path Mia was setting out for he and Garet through the room whenever he was able to open his eyes and stomach the sight of standing over a pool of water.

Another hop.

"Felix!"

He didn't look before he leaped and he found his feet plunging deep into the water below him with no Psynergetic platform to save him this time. He scrambled desperately for a few moments, just in time to see Mia and Garet at the water's edge to his side before he went under.

Felix gasped and flailed, water filling his lungs as he panicked and tried to push himself back up to the surface. Each kick seemed to drag him down farther and he couldn't stop himself from trying to breathe, even as he watched Garet dive down to him as his vision began to fade out.

 _The water crashed against him, pounding relentlessly against his hands, as he struggled to maintain a grip on the shattered piece of wood rooted into the riverbed. There was no moment without a wave of rushing water battering him back, trying to take him away or to fill his lungs before he could be rescued._

 _He struggled to even gasp, let alone breathe, with the amount of water that crashed against him, it was all he could do to just hug tightly to the wood and try to get it to shield him as best he could._

 _Felix felt himself get dragged under, his grip slipping, before he started to desperately claw for anything he could get a hold of again. He gasped, water filling his mouth, as he managed to pull himself back up above the surface, now seeing his friends watching from the riverbank. He held on tighter, he couldn't let go, he had to hold on for them._

Felix awoke violently, water surging up out of his lungs and out of his mouth as he coughed and spluttered. The blurry face of Mia quickly retreating away as his consciousness returned. He rolled onto his side as the contents of his lungs spilled out of his mouth with each convulsion of his body.

"Are you okay?" There was a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Felix coughed some more doing his best to work a nod in between to assure the others he was alright, at least in some sense.

"You could have warned me he couldn't swim."

Were Felix not still coughing and gasping he was sure he would have felt his jaw lock in embarrassment at Mia's comment. Swimming… well it wasn't something he had done since that night, neither wanting or being able to anymore.

"Uh yeah, well, you know… living in a valley surrounded by mountains learning to swim wasn't exactly something everyone did."

"Well thank the goddess you took the time to learn, I'm not sure I could have dragged him back up to the surface if I'd gone in."

Felix wiped tears from his eyes and water from his mouth as he looked up from the ground to find Mia and Garet above him, Mia crouched next to him. So it was her hand on his shoulder.

"Stick close to me, okay?" Despite how harsh she had sounded earlier her voice was considerably softer now. "We don't want you having another accident like that, so if it helps you can hold my hand across the water."

Mia stood up and held a hand out to him, which he grasped as she helped him up. "Thank you. I'm sorry for not warning you about swimming, but I hadn't expected to slip."

"It's okay," Mia assured him, still holding his hand since they were very much on a slippery surface surrounded by water. "No serious harm, but we _must_ make haste now. Delays like these only make the gap between Alex and myself even greater."

The three of them nodded to each other, hurrying forward through a nearby doorway and deeper into the Lighthouse.

* * *

Felix shook as he felt water rushing beneath his feet and carrying him upward towards the Aerie, the cold was one thing, but the sensation of water against him like this made him much more tense than he needed right now. If Mia was right then Jenna and her group were just ahead of them and who knew what might happen.

He was glad to step off the water and onto the precarious floating platform that carried him upward and around the Lighthouse, only for the sky to suddenly fill with a piercing blue light as he did.

Felix's heart sank as he threw his gaze upward. A pillar of blue light was firing out from atop the Lighthouse, were they too late?

He soon found himself deposited to the right of the Lighthouse's Aerie with Mia and Garet, the latter of whom seemed much more shaken than he had a mere minute ago, before they all rushed across to the Aerie proper.

"It's too late! The Lighthouse has already been lit!"

Mia stepped ahead of them just a little, her entire body suddenly going lax as she stared up at the swirling orb of raw Mercury Psynergy before them. Felix swallowed, feeling a great deal of both shame and responsibility for having a hand in this.

"I have failed in the one duty placed upon me…"

Had he not gone to Mt. Aleph this could have been avoided, had he been a better fighter, he could have caught up to Jenna sooner, had he not fallen into the water earlier-

"Felix! Garet!"

Felix whipped around to find Jenna and her group standing upon a platform very much like the one he had been deposited on. Felix's eyes fixed on Jenna, the girl matching his gaze for only a moment before she looked away from him. Menardi said something to her before calling out to Felix about having chased them this far.

Felix yelled back angrily, eyes still focused intently on Jenna despite Menardi having been the one to address him. A few more words were exchanged between the two women before a third voice yelled an order from behind the Mercury Beacon.

Felix, Garet, and Mia took a cautious step back as Saturos rounded the Beacon and approached them. The man gave another order and soon after Jenna and the others started to descend the Lighthouse on the platform. Felix watched cautiously, doing his best not to turn his attention away from Saturos for too long, as his sister disappeared from view.

Just before she did, however, Felix heard her voice again for the first time in months.

"Felix! Garet! Don't die!"

She sounded so sad… but what right had she to care after all she had done to them and to Vale. Felix hardened his gaze and turned back to Saturos, just as Garet stepped forward to call after them.

"Isaac… Kraden!"

"Hold, boy."

Garet quickly doubled back to Felix and Mia's side as Saturos addressed him, hand quickly finding the hilt of his weapon, but keeping it sheathed for the moment.

Saturos' own hands rose away from his sword, an unimpressed look upon his face as he regarded the three Adepts facing him. "I've no want or intention to fight you here, we would gain nothing."

"We would stop you." Felix stated plainly, stance tightening.

Saturos chuckled at that. "Overconfidence is not wise, boy. But even if you _could_ Menardi has the remaining Stars and is already gaining a lead over you as we speak. Moreover, I doubt you to be the kind to finish me here."

Felix growled under his breath, no retort coming to him. It had been plain to see the difference in their power as they chased him, but even now with the Mercury Beacon washing over all of their powers the disparity between their own and his was vast.

"Then what?"

"A bargain and an explanation. The Star Chamber hardly allowed for it."

Getting no response from the three young Adepts, Saturos continued.

"I've no doubt you brought the Mars Star with you, as a means to barter for Isaac and Kraden's freedom as instructed."

Felix nodded.

"Hand it over. And before you protest, no, we do not seek to destroy or conquer the world with the power of the Lighthouses. Simply save our home."

"Liar." Before Felix could say anything, Mia cut across. She was every bit the brave defender of the Lighthouse–of her very way of life, Felix took note. She stepped to the front, putting an arm between Garet and Saturos, her own body in front of Felix's own–not shielding, but preparing to strike.

"The Lighthouses were sealed to prevent a dangerous power from terrorising the world again. This is fact." Mia continued on, "Any attempts to unlock the Lighthouse's power shall be stopped by the Lighthouse Guardians."

"And you fancy yourself as one? I know many Lighthouse Guardians, girl," Saturos almost sounded amused, for the briefest of moments, before he shook his head. Looking behind Mia, towards Felix and Garet, Saturos drawled out, "Felix, Garet–you were lucky to survive the eruption of Mount Aleph. And now you want to throw your very lives away? Just give me the Star, boys, and you two can go home. I'll even lead you back to the others, and the lot of you can go home."

"It's not happening," Felix snapped. He hated how _casual_ Saturos seemed about the entire debacle; using their names, referring to them as children–when by Vale's culture, Felix was an adult!–and it set his blood boiling in a way he couldn't describe.

Rage, not betrayal, filled Felix's bones.

"We have to be careful," Garet said from behind Mia, looking at the two of them, then back to Saturos, "We'll have to match his strength."

"Match me?" The humour was gone from Saturos' voice now. "You honestly think you three children can match me?"

Felix didn't say anything as he drew his blade. Saturos took that for the intent it was, as Garet drew his weapon, and Mia hers.

"And yet you still want to fight?! Ship of fools." Saturos approached. Though he staggered for a moment, and moved sluggishly, as if something was weighing him down.

"Saturos is moving strangely," Garet hissed lowly to Felix and Mia.

"Whatever his game is," Felix said, moving around Mia, "we're going to have to beat it."

"Could it be that the lit Beacon is weakening him?" Mia asked. Before anybody could answer, however, Saturos came charging in.

Swords collided. Felix barely held his up in time. The force of the blow sent him staggering back, and then Felix realised exactly how outclassed the three were.

No amount of feeble combat practice, no amount of time spent inside the Lighthouse could have prepared him for this moment. Mia swung in at Saturos as Felix righted himself, mace meeting sword as they exchanged a few quick blows before Mia doubled back to get some breathing room.

Saturos lifted a hand in Mia's direction, fireballs spewing from it as he activated his Psynergy. Mia ducked and weaved with the grace of somebody who had been training for combat for much longer than Felix and Garet had.

With Saturos distracted for a moment, Felix lunged in. _Echo, we need you!_

Unleashing Echo had become second nature to Felix. Felix swung his blade once, feeling Echo's primary ability–a second 'echo' of himself–bite into Saturos' flesh as well. It may have been a lucky hit. Felix wasn't complaining.

Mia and Garet attacked in tandem, Garet ducking in to try and force Saturos back while Mia's Ice battered down against his Psynergetic shield. Felix shook a bit as he held up a hand, summoning the spirit of Venus–the hand mostly out for channeling purposes.

That was when the ground broke in front of the three. Saturos' Psynergy practically sparked into life, pulsing around him with a force none of them had felt before. The Aerie burst open with a violent explosion as fire and heat erupted upwards beneath the three Adepts, sending them flying back.

Felix screamed from the pain of it, feeling his Psynergetic shield melting away as the fire bit through it, his armour, and his skin. He still wasn't used to being attacked by Mars Psynergy, and certainly not of this scale. Before he could push himself up though, he saw the effects of Mia's Ply and felt grateful for it. The pain subsided, and Felix stood up once more.

Garet ran in this time, activating the Djinn they had found in the Mercury Lighthouse–Sleet–and Saturos seemingly froze in place for a second, before he moved again.

Unfortunately for Garet, Saturos was now focused on him. Saturos took a swing, his blade howling as it burned with an unusual heat, and slashed at him. Felix went pale as he watched the blade sink into Garet's flesh and slice across him, cutting deep and cauterizing all at once. Garet fell to his knees then collapsed into a heap as Saturos knocked the last of his consciousness out with a deft kick to the chest.

"Garet!" Felix roared, advancing on Saturos as quickly as he could, his blade howling out as he unleashed a flurry of strikes against the warrior.

Each was blocked, parried, or dodged with practiced ease. Felix's strikes were clumsy and heavy in comparison to how Saturos used his blade, and Felix soon found his own sword twirling out of his grip and sailing across the Aerie as Saturos countered.

Felix quickly rolled backwards, a well timed Spire catching Saturos' blade where Felix had been just a moment ago. Out of the corner of his eye Felix spotted Mia getting up from Garet's side, the wound he had suffered considerably less gruesome looking now.

Felix knew if it weren't for Mia's healing prowess, he and Garet would have both been dead long before they reached the Aerie.

Felix dove for his blade as Mia placed herself between Saturos and the two boys, steel ringing out with shrill clangs. While it was plain to see the advantage Saturos had over Felix in combat, it was less so when he faced Mia.

Each blow and swing of both weapons were parried or blocked and the exertion of the battle was becoming ever clearer on Saturos' face as he tried to push Mia back, only for him to have his arm yanked into Mia's grip and his nose smashed as Mia headbutt him before she twirled away.

Felix swung in with Gust, as Saturos panted and held his now bleeding face. He felt Gust make the blade bite deeper than before, but that didn't matter much, as Saturos roared and picked Felix up by the back of his cloak, and threw him hard.

Felix nearly fell off the Lighthouse with the force of it, knowing the only reason he survived is a tangle of his own vines and thorns catching him from a sheer instinctual Psynergetic reaction. He had thought those only happened in stories, but it appeared not.

"Felix!" Mia yelled as he used the vines to pull himself up.

Unfortunately, again, Saturos took that opportunity to attack, unleashing another _Eruption_ upon her. However, Mia's own Djinni–a companion by the name of Fizz–healed her through the worst of it.

Mia summoned Nereid, a more powerful elemental spirit than those that Felix and Garet had seen prior. Whatever the summon was–and Felix didn't care to think about it much–it was capable of taking Saturos down a peg.

Saturos unleashed his _Fireball_ once more, attacking the two as he slowly began to back up. Putting distance between them was wise, Felix thought, but that wasn't going to happen.

Felix and Mia both charged forward, as Mia casted Frost, freezing Saturos' foot to the floor of the Aerie. He roared again, his Psynergy flaring, as the two beared down on him more _Fireballs_ erupting out behind him as he tried to buy himself space and time to free himself.

Felix and Mia dodged through or simply took the Psynergetic blow as they advanced, weapons at the ready. With his foot still stuck Saturos could do little to parry blows from the two and this time it was his weapon that went spinning across the Aerie, nearly tumbling off the side.

Saturos wasn't down for the count, even as he took the blows. He staggered forward, wrenching his foot from the ice, unleashing a _Heatwave_ –this time towards Felix–and he almost parried the blow. Unfortunately, this meant Felix was forced back by the sheer force of the Psynergetic heat upon him.

But before Saturos could attack again, Mia swung in, mace colliding with the armour around his chest and sent him tumbling backwards before he came to rest, prone upon the cool blue floor of the Aerie.

This time he wasn't moving.

Felix looked over at Garet, as Mia began to heal the three of them, brimming with seemingly limitless power. As Garet's consciousness returned, Mia left his side and advanced on the defeated Saturos.

"Mia, what are you-" Garet asked.

Mia yelled as she raised her mace above her and brought it down heavily on the warrior, only to have it bounce harmlessly off of a wall of ice that appeared between Saturos and she.

"My my, what a surprise."

A coldly familiar voice–one that Mia seemed to know better than Felix did–came forward.

"Alex…" Mia said in shock, spinning around to look at him.

Felix gritted his teeth in anger, wanting to step forward, but knowing that Alex was at least as powerful as Saturos, if not more so, since the Mercury Beacon was lit.

"Alex, do you realise what you have _done?!"_ Mia demanded.

"Of course," Alex chuckled and shook his head, "Mia, I have freed a great power that has long been sealed away. Mercury, the Lighthouse of Water–it's such a _mighty_ force–"

"Are you mad?!" Mia yelled as she approached Alex, her entire body shaking from rage–rage that Felix understood well.

"No, Mia," Alex countered, stepping forward to Mia as well. "Don't you understand? The Lighthouse granted you great power during your battle with Saturos."

"It's true," Mia conceded, before she brought her fist to meet Alex's face. "But you have still have gone against everything our clan has stood for!"

Alex chuckled to himself as his Psynergy started to heal whatever damage Mia had done to him. It was at that moment Saturos stood up again.

"He's up _again?"_ Garet said in a shaky voice, holding the scar across his chest. They couldn't fight Saturos a second time. Other than Mia's Psynergy, the three of them were out of resources capable of fighting him. "But we beat him down!"

"Me?" Saturos laughed as he moved towards Alex. "Beaten? Never! I lost to the Lighthouse, not to you children!"

"I won't let you escape." Felix gripped his sword, stepping towards Mia, Alex, and Saturos.

"And what are _you_ going to do?" Alex inquired as Saturos leaned on him. "Finish him off?"

A moment of silence. _Could_ Felix do that? Was he a killer, as well as somebody who had led the world to ruin? Did it truly matter? He looked at Mia, her face a hardened scowl as she looked at Alex and Saturos, the realization that she was prepared to finish him all too real to him now.

Alex took Felix's silence for a no. "Yes, Felix. You seem like a smart warrior. You can't beat our combined might, now that we've seen how you fight. And frankly, I doubt you are the type to 'finish' anybody off!"

Alex warped then, taking he and Saturos away. Felix and Garet glowered, but Mia proceeded to ask: "Where did you learn how to do _that_ , Alex?"

"Ah, well, I can't stay the same Alex you knew forever." Alex half cooed, before the platform returned. Alex warped onto it, taking Saturos with him, before the two were carried down.

"They're gone…" Garet said softly, looking about ready to cry. "We couldn't even save Isaac."

"I don't deserve to be a healer," Mia said in the same softness, more to herself than to Felix, "I couldn't stop them from lighting the Beacon. I've failed my clan, failed in my _duty_ –"

"That's not true," Felix mumbled, unaware that Mia looked over at them. "We can still defeat them. All we have to do is stop them from lighting all the Lighthouses–and as long as we have the Mars Star, that should be an impossible task."

"That's right." Garet nodded. "We can save Isaac at the next Lighthouse."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Mia asked, lifting an eyebrow. "We need to go after them, _now._ We can't let Alex get away with this."

"Are you coming with us?" Garet asked with uncertainty.

"Your people need you _here_ ," Felix pointed out.

Mia smiled sadly and shook her head. "There's an old saying in Imil. 'The fountain shall be filled as long as light fills the Lighthouse'. I have mixed feelings about leaving, but Imil should be fine, if the Water of Hermes is flowing."

"We should hurry, if we're going to follow them." Felix continued Mia's train of thought.

As they approached the platform it rose back up to take the group down. And Garet asked what Felix had been thinking: "Were you really going to kill Saturos?"

"He would have killed us." Mia said in response.

Felix and Garet exchanged concerned looks as Mia hit the button at the back of the platform to start their descent. In essence the three of them had been taught from a young age to do the very same thing: guard the seal to Alchemy. Yet, Mia seemed like the only one who was capable of doing what was necessary to accomplish that.

Were he and Garet really failures as guardians?

* * *

The base of the Lighthouse was more populated than Felix had expected when the three of them finished their descent. Many of the people of Imil were gathered around a fountain at the entrance to the Lighthouse, filling bottles and drinking from the freshly flowing water.

"Hermes Water," Mia explained as she greeted several of the villagers and moved to the fountain, filling several bottles with the water in question. "Said to be able to heal any wound or cure any sickness."

She beckoned Garet over before scooping up a handful of water and wiping it across the jagged scar across his chest. Garet let out a contented sigh, Felix watching in amazement as the scar tissue of the wound returned to smooth, unblemished skin.

"We must go back to Imil before we chase after Alex. We need to rest and restock and I have business to attend to." Mia stated matter-of-factly, before she approached the entrance to Mercury lighthouse to reseal the entrance, presumably for the safety of those gathered around the fountain. Afterwards she quickly lead the two of them back to Imil.

Things were mostly silent as they made the trek, exhaustion, fatigue, and hunger finally setting in over Felix. He didn't know how long it had been since he'd slept or had a good meal, but right now that's all he wanted.

"So… Mia." Garet spoke up as the two of them sat down to a meal at the inn.

"Yeah."

"She's… not what I expected from a healer."

"You're telling me," Felix nodded, taking a slow sip of the soup before him.

"Do you think she was serious?" Garet swallowed, surprising that it was only air and not food. "About Saturos, I mean."

Felix placed his spoon back into the soup. "I don't know. Maybe…" A sigh. "Probably. She was ready to kick us out as soon as she saw us in the Lighthouse. Seems her healer duties come after her duties as a guardian."

"Yeah, seems like it, considering she just invited herself into our group to stop Alex and the others."

Felix breathed out a heavy sigh. Mia certainly had, and he doubted there was much at all he could say to stop her from leaving Imil to chase after Alex now, at the very least it made the most practical sense for them to go together. Felix and Garet could certainly benefit from the help of a trained healer and guardian, she did more than enough to show them up in the Lighthouse.

"She was nicer before the Lighthouse," he said as Garet took a bite of bread. "We met before Jenna got to the Lighthouse, very friendly. I'm sure outside of a more stressful situation we could be good friends with her… plenty in common after all, having failed to stop Jenna from desecrating the places we're supposed to protect."

Garet let out half a chuckle at that, likely deciding against mentioning that it was on them as well. Felix settled into the silence of the meal, ruminating over the fight with Saturos on the Aerie.

Saturos had wanted to talk before they fought, but Felix still doubted he could be trusted. Even still, he doubted they would get lucky enough to best him again unless they improved and fast. Then again, Alex's question still bit at him. Was he the type to 'finish off' another? Mia was prepared, shouldn't he have been?

These questions plagued him through the night as he did his best to rest at the inn.

* * *

Felix and Garet were silent as they stood at the back of the Sanctum while waiting for Mia. She was crouched down near the Sanctum altar, both arms pulling the children Felix had bought supplies from into a tight hug.

There was some awkwardness as Felix heard sniffles from the three blue-haired healers of Imil. Felix debated waiting outside, but to move now would probably disturb them and that's something he didn't want to do. He couldn't have imagined being able to leave Vale without talking to his loved ones first.

"I'm so sorry, you two…"

"Don't worry, Mia," the girl, Megan, spoke up. "As members of the Mercury Clan we shall protect Imil while you are gone."

"That's right," the boy, Justin, said. "We've always been told that the Lighthouse being lit was a danger to the whole world, and it is our duty to stop whoever should do that."

"You are trying to protect the world, not just the Mercury Clan."

"Yes, I am…" Mia sniffled, hugging her students closer.

"Go, Mia," Megan said, despite her arms tightening the hug. "We will protect Imil, and I promise to learn to be as great a healer as you before you're back."

"Imil will be safe with us."

Felix was more than impressed. These two children couldn't have been older than he was the first time Mt. Aleph was raided and yet they were so much more confident and ready for their roles in the town than he had ever been.

"Thank you both," Mia said, loosening the hug to plant gentle kisses upon their foreheads. "You're the bravest students a teacher could ask for."

The two children smiled, wiping their eyes as Mia stood up and walked away toward Felix and Garet.

"We can leave without any worries, now." She said, tears still glimmering in her eyes, before leaving the Sanctum ahead of Felix and Garet.

Both of them followed after her, but not before offering solemn nods to Megan and Justin. An unspoken promise to make sure Mia returned home safely.

* * *

The journey back south towards Bilibin was quite similar to their journey through the Lighthouse. Mia wasn't exactly the example of friendliness. Not to say she wasn't, when she spoke it was polite and graceful, and she did all she could to help Felix and Garet whenever it came to it.

But talking at length, or having fun together didn't seem too high on her priorities. She mostly kept to herself, never initiating a conversation or engaging too heavily in ones the boys tried to involve her in. For all intents and purposes she was on her own quest, and they were on theirs, but they happened to be going the same way.

Felix felt there was no doubt that she blamed them for what had happened to Mercury Lighthouse… not an entirely unfounded blame, but it certainly made for an awkward time travelling together. It was rude to ignore her, as she was perfectly nice and helped them cook, identify poisonous herbs and shrooms, heal, and even train in combat, but at the same time it seemed rude to try and involve her in something she wanted no part of.

Mia never really talked about herself or her clan, and she never asked much of that from either of them. Felix could understand that to a degree, he and Garet were raised to keep Vale's secrets closely guarded, even the fact that they were Adepts, but to barely associate with a travelling companion was something he couldn't wrap his head around.

Perhaps it was luck then, that danger struck as they reached the outskirts of Kolima.

The group had been told the curse hadn't been lifted, as they had left Bilibin. They had been warned–that people who got too close to the forest, or were from Kolima itself–as the tree in the front of the gate warned–would be turned into trees. Mia had seemed… disbelieving, at first, until she had seen the tree for herself.

For a moment, Felix had wanted to ask her if she could fix it. But before he could ask, she echoed the same sentiment Echo had, the first time they had come through Bilibin: "We should move on. There is nothing we can do here."

It wasn't until the three had made their way past the barricades–shoving away part of it with Psynergy to sneak across, pulling a tree-person out of the nearby river to shore, so they'd be safe, Felix more than sympathetic to the plight of someone stuck in a river–and into the road that led to the forest and village, that things seemed… off.

Sparkles had lit the ground up, providing a dim source of light for them as they wound near the sign that pointed east, towards the village, and north, towards a lumber camp.

That was when the pain struck. It was like an attack on their minds, a sharp, stabbing pain ricocheting through Felix's head–and Felix, then Garet, then Mia, fell to their knees, then the ground.

The sparkles began to fall from the sky.

* * *

Sky: Thanks for reading and so sorry it took so long! We look forward to hearing from everyone soon, and we'll see you in jenna's next installment :)

Droory: Thanks for reading! Really hope we enjoyed it and we look forward to hearing what you thought! Hopefully we'll have the next chapter of this verse up quicker than this one took!  
Thanks again!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	6. Kolima

Hey all! Apologies again for this chapter (and Jenna's most recent one) for taking so long between updates! We hope the wait was worth it and you enjoy this one!

* * *

"My mind!" Mia screamed out. "Something is attacking my–"

Felix felt it too, the Psynergy within him screaming in protest, as his body was forced down and into the ground. A screeching, searing noise rang through his head, as something else battered against his body and pinned him to the ground.

"Wh-what's happening…?" Garet's voice was pained, groggy.

The screeching had stopped. Felix continued to twitch on the ground but found himself unable to move, his limbs feeling heavier than ever. He swallowed, trying to answer Garet, but could only choke back some bile that had risen up during the attack.

"Something's falling from the sky."

Felix blinked, doing his best to look up from his paralyzed position on the ground. Garet was right, that same sparkling dust they had seen as they entered the forests of Kolima was now falling from the sky.

"Could this be…" Mia's voice was slow, quiet, "what turned the people of Kolima?"

Felix started to struggle against the invisible bonds holding him down. No matter how he struggled his body refused to answer him. He almost felt like he was embedded into the ground.

The sparkles fell closer, landing just before his eyes on the ground in front of him. He could hear the grunting from the other two. Was this where their quest was to end? Pinned to the ground by some unknowable power and turned into trees?

...had his sister fallen to the same fate?

A flash before his eyes. The sparkles began to burst in front of him, a shimmering blue shield cast around him that the sparkles dissipated upon harmlessly. Felix watched helplessly as the sparkles continued to rain down, only for it to eventually pitter out and stop altogether.

Had someone just saved them?

The three of them, through a series of groans and confused mumbles eventually staggered back onto shaky feet. They drew close together, supporting one another with their hands on their readied weapons. Not that they believed in any measure they were ready for a fight.

"What… were those barriers?" Garet huffed out.

Felix and Mia both shook their heads, unsure, and too out of breath to answer. Felix felt sick to his very core, the Psynergy inside him bubbling in protest to whatever had attacked them.

 _Your Psynergy._ Echo responded, materialising in front of them. _Very much like a reflex, your power responded to keep you safe._

The three exhaled slowly as Echo melded back into Felix's body. That meant they were safe from the curse proper, it meant Jenna was safe too, but unless they could find a way to resist the initial attack that had paralyzed them they wouldn't be able to do much.

"More people like before, able to resist Tret's glamour?"

All three of the weakened Adepts cast confused and scared glances around them, doing their best to draw their weapons. Whoever they had just heard, a feminine voice, seemed to be entirely in their mind.

"Have they come to save the village or simply escape it like the others?"

Whatever voice it was, sadness seemed to soak every syllable.

"No more shall escape me! They sealed their fate!" This voice burned in Felix's mind, booming and echoing around every corner of his head. "Kolima took their axes to me, and now I shall take mine to them!"

"I urge you children to flee." The first voice again. "Kolima forest is dying, and us along with it. You must escape before the curse takes hold."

"We are not the only ones who will die, Laurel!" The second voice, all words ringing loud in Felix's mind and ears. "Once we are gone, they too will go!"

They… Would die? Felix pushed himself to stand upright, breathing slowly as he, Garet, and Mia tried to find their bearings again.

He couldn't believe it.

"Is there anything we can do?" Garet asked, looking at Felix and Mia.

"Felix, we don't have _time_ to stop any curses." Mia pointed out. "Unless they're conveniently on our way."

Felix swallowed. He knew Mia was right, but–

"This is our fault." Felix said to Garet, and Garet alone.

"It is." Garet agreed.

"We need to fix it."

"Felix!" Mia snapped. "Every step towards wherever this curse originates from is one step further away from Alex and the others! You heard that voice, other Adepts like us have been through here already!"

Felix swallowed, before he looked towards the direction of into the Kolima Forest… Then he made an executive decision. "We need to go the village anyways. The map says it's deeper into the forest. So we go that way, gather what supplies we can, and then from there, we figure out what to do next."

 _She won't be happy about your plan._ Echo chirped up as they began walking.

Felix nearly smiled.

He could feel the tug of Psynergy in the direction they were heading. Which lead them north and away from the village… but Mia and Garet didn't need to know that.

The area was dangerous from large creatures–bees, angry and sentient rats, and even a few trolls, and every time they fought, ducking and weaving through felled trees and vines, and the sparkles of the curse that seemed to fall in a constant downpour, with the louder and louder bickering of _why_ this curse was happening, well–

It filled Felix with more vigour.

Despite the almost week long journey through the forest his resolve didn't falter.

There had to be something they could do.

He bit his lip for a few moments as they finally stopped in front of a large reservoir, with logs floating across it. Again, there had to be a way across.

"I think the village is on the other side of those tall trees." Felix pointed them out. "Anybody got a compass, so we know which way north is?" He buried his nose in the map for a few moments, faking an attempt to trace out the route to Kolima Village with calloused fingertips.

Garet and Mia looked at each other, shaking their heads.

Echo wiggled his way out, munching on Felix's chips, before he chirped, and half-gestured to the right side of the lake. That was north.

Felix nodded, putting the map back in his cloak. He began walking, looking at the reservoir with an unhappy expression.

"I think we may have to get around some other way." Garet quipped as they reached the end of their way around on land. "Because there's no way for us to get across these stumps when they're practically our size."

Felix sighed. Of course. It had to come back down to his inability to swim.

"What if we drained the reservoir?" Mia asked after a moment of thought.

It could be done, Felix noted, the floodgates were basically open to use and any security that they may have had were now undone by the curse. Besides, it's not like they'd get in trouble for temporarily flooding a part of the forest if their goal was to save both it and the people who were trapped in it.

"Let's do it." Felix nodded to Mia, hoping that being more agreeable with her would make it a little more bearable for them to be travelling together. He disliked having to fight her every step of the way with his leadership.

The three of them were quick to wrench the lever from its position, a considerable effort considering the amount of vines and branches holding it in place, and watched as the riverbed below began to overflow with the water from the reservoir. Felix hoped it wouldn't cause any damage, or worse, wash away any cursed people. His mind briefly flashed back to those three near the ruins of the Bilibin barricade. Even with his Psynergy it had taken considerable effort to help them back onto land.

It seemed Jenna no longer had the heart that he did.

With the reservoir emptied the three of them were free to descend into it and see if they could find a way to reach the other side without having to find a long way around. Garet briefly suggested they try to reposition the logs and then refill the reservoir, but Mia was quick to shoot down the idea, citing the fact that there was no guarantee the logs would stay where they needed and, more importantly, it would take a long time for the water to refill enough.

Felix scanned along the rock and soil that the workers had dug looking for any easy way to climb up. Waterlogged as it was it wasn't sturdy enough for them to climb without risk of it coming loose and dropping them back down the full twenty feet.

 _There._ Echo squeaked in Felix's mind, drawing his attention to a budding plant near the base of the wall.

"Garet, can I borrow Fever for a moment?"

Garet approached, nodding, holding out his hand as he called on the Djinni. The glowing red orbs of the Djinni materialised and floated over to Felix before bonding to him.

"Thanks." Felix said, feeling the power within him both growing and shifting as Fever's warmth spread through him.

With the strange mix of power Fever gave him, along with the other Djinn he had gathered, Felix was confident he would be able to create a vine sturdy enough for them to climb without damaging the wall.

It was true that alone he would probably have been able to get the vine to grow tall enough, and with his complement of Venus Djinni they would have ensured that, but the added power of a Mars Djinni would help solidify the rock wall and strengthen the vine itself.

They were certainly helpful little creatures.

 _You're welcome_. Fever's voice was almost teasing as Felix returned them to Garet once the vine was tall enough.

"Up you go, guys," Felix gestured. "I'll head up last in case the vine needs some support."

They were quick to go, Garet first since he was the biggest of them and the best test of the vine's strength. Once he was up top he secured a rope around a tree and tossed it down alongside the vine.

There were some quick thanks from both Felix and Mia as they used both on the way up.

"Let's hurry on," Mia said rather sternly.

There were no objections from the group as they pushed onwards through the trees to the only landmarks they could see for miles around them: the towering trees that stood above all else in Kolima.

* * *

"Who are you…?"

A soft voice, gentle and quiet, spoke to them from somewhere. Female from the sounds of it. The three Adepts quickly closed ranks and drew their weapons, forever wary of anything in this forest, especially after their intense trek through the forest.

"Ah… the ones who resisted Tret's glamour."

Felix continued to take cautious steps along the path they followed towards the largest trees they could see.

"I sense a great warmth within you."

The voice was oddly soothing, despite the sorrow laced in every word. Felix felt the Psynergy in his veins pulse in a relaxing way with each word it spoke. If it was a threat it certainly knew how to disguise itself.

"If you are here to save Tret, I fear you are too late."

They sheathed their weapons, having reached the trees they had been moving toward. Felix swore he could see a face in the one nearest to them. He studied it quizzically, it was very much like those trees they had encountered in Kolima proper.

This one though, was much more serene, much calmer. While the trees of those cursed had been twisted in fear or pain and made Felix physically sick to be near, this one was gentle and calmed him greatly.

Until the eyelids parted, revealing a pair of gleaming green, almost human, eyes. Felix fell back into both Garet and Mia in shock, all three of them tumbling to the ground. Any outbursts from the others were caught in their throats as they too saw this tree looking down upon them.

"Soon, Tret will die," The lips of the tree parted, the source of the voice now revealed. "Without him, all of Kolima shall wither away and die. You must leave before this forest is destroyed…"

"Laurel?" Felix remembered the name of one of the voices he had heard spoken during the Psynergetic assault they had been subjected to when they first stepped within the bounds of Kolima. She was the one who had protested to what had happened, who had expressed great sadness at the fate of Kolima and its people.

Felix could never have imagined she too was a cursed tree. Perhaps Adepts who did finally succumb became like she did?

"Yes. I am the one who spoke to you back then. I urge you to leave before the destruction of this forest traps you young ones here."

"Where is Tret?" Felix asked, trying not to focus on the strangeness of the situation, one that seemed to be keeping both Garet and Mia from standing back up. "We're here to stop him, we want to save those from the curse."

Laurel's face grew sombre, "He is both very near, and immeasurably far away." Her eyes looked to her left, which Felix followed to gaze upon the other tree some distance away that they had been walking towards all this time.

"Tret's body is what you see there, however, since the eruption five or so months ago he has been possessed by a great anger. It consumes him and has driven his true self far from this place."

Another living tree. This one with power over all of Kolima and with enough to turn living beings into trees. Had the eruption done this to them? Or had it simply given them the abilities they now possessed?

"What can we do?" Garet asked, finally having stood back up.

"Flee." Laurel answered simply.

"Wait." Mia spoke up, stepping closer to Laurel. "I am from Imil, near Mercury Lighthouse. I have a store of Hermes' Water with me, perhaps that can cure Tret of his own curse?"

Felix blinked, looking between both trees and Mia. He hadn't expected her to be so willing to help after her objections of coming here, and even more so to offer the rarest item she had with her so readily.

"Mercury Lighthouse…" Laurel's voice was quiet, but the sad tones now had a lingering hope to them. "I thought it impossible when I had felt that energy, but yes. If Tret's darker self can be driven out of him, perhaps you may be able to save us all."

Mia nodded firmly to Laurel, turning to Felix, "You heard her."

"Um… uh…" Felix blinked and swallowed, taken aback at the apparent order he had just been given. "H-how do we do that?"

"You must find a way to Tret's heart, deep below us, our roots stretch far into Kolima and at their centre you should find whatever darkness now holds Tret in its grasp." Laurel's eyes looked left again towards Tret. "Climb him, the curse has withered his body. You should be able to find a way inside and descend to his heart."

Felix heard Garet exhale a long breath, one he too wished to breathe. The absurdity of the situation was not one he had been prepared for. He had expected an Adept of great power to be residing in Kolima all this time, either mad with power or because of it.

But Laurel was genuine and the situation before them could not be denied. Felix offered a resolute nod to Laurel quickly advancing on Tret, before slowing his pace. This was the source of all of Kolima's troubles, and simply charging at it was likely to get them all injured or worse. They were at the heart of his power now and if he could turn people to trees at a distance he could likely control and change the landscape around him as he wished to attack them.

Felix's fears proved true as they started to take more cautious steps towards Tret. Once they had closed the distance somewhat a booming voice shook the ground all around them, vines and branches erupting from every angle.

The three of them were quick to react, fire, earth, and ice quickly putting up equal parts offense and defence. Vines embedded themselves in the wall Felix had erected in front of them while others dropped to the ground and shattered from Mia's own Psynergy. Countless more crumbled away into ash and twigs as Garet unleashed multiple _Flare Walls_.

 _"Hroom! I control all in Tret's realm!"_ The voice stung in Felix's mind, the Psynergy in his veins curdling as it invaded his body. He swallowed back the bile, glad for Garet's protective fire as they continued to advance upon Tret.

The face within Tret's body hadn't moved in the slightest when he spoke to them.

"Tret!" Mia called out, "Stop this!"

 _"He will not answer you child!"_

That same voice that had assaulted them all this time rang out in their minds. Laurel had been right, Tret wasn't truly here. Whatever had taken hold of him now had complete control over Tret's domain and powers.

They had to stop it.

* * *

Trying to travel through Tret and make their way down to the heart proved a far worse ordeal than any of them had previously imagined. The climb up to a point where they could crawl inside was perilous enough as Tret launched multiple attacks on them, quickly draining Garet's Psynergy with how often he had to cast a _Flare_ to hold off branches and vines.

Inside was an entirely different beast. Parts of the tree had almost rotted out completely creating large spaces and even larger holes that they risked falling through if they weren't careful. Spiderwebs and rotted wood interlaces these rooms and more than once Felix had found himself gripping onto a shaky vine as the floor gave out beneath him.

Their goal was to get lower, yes, but many of the spaces that the caverns dropped them to were dead-ends, forcing them to try and find a way back up, or some small holes they would have to crawl through to find their way outside and into Tret's branches before finding a way back in.

That wasn't even to speak of the multiple monsters that infested Tret, giant spiders, vermin and ghostly spirits to name a few, seemed to be under Tret's thrall and were constantly hunting after the three of them. The fighting seemed almost endless, until eventually Garet managed to find a way down farther into Tret proper.

It was a fall, and quite a distance, but Felix did his best to both lower them down and break their fall with a series of vines. Light faded with each level they fell until they landed in a solid chamber, hitting what felt like solid earth at the bottom.

Garet was quick to use his Psynergy to illuminate whatever cavern they were in now. It was an interlacing space of both tree roots and earth, but it was quiet and dark. The only source of light other than Garet's Psynergy came from the singular hole in the ceiling that the group had fallen through.

"Hm… HROOOM!"

The entire room shook around them, Felix ducked quickly against a nearby wall as far from the tree roots as he could find, watching as the others did very much the same. As Garet moved, light caught a familiar face at the back of the room: Tret's.

"You! You hoped to find my kindly self?"

The face didn't seem to be as stationary as the one in the trunk above ground though, it began to glow, and float in front of them. Felix could feel a form of Venus Psynergy radiating off of it that made him dizzy.

"Fools!" The chamber lit up, Tret's head now glowing with a bright turquoise energy, "You should never have come here, and now you shall never leave!"

The room shook to life around them, vines, branches, earth, brambles, every manner of conceivable Venus Psynergy brought to bear upon the three of them. Felix did his best to quickly get close to his companions, getting separated in here would surely mean death.

Walls of earth started to shoot up all around him, shaking and quaking, as it barred his passage both to Garet and Mia, and Tret himself. Felix did his best to level his Psynergy, feeling it trembling within him, and responded with his own _Quakes_ and _Growths_ in an effort to wrench control from Tret at least momentarily to regroup.

The floating head laughed, still hovering menacingly at the back of the room, at Felix's attempts, successful though they were. Felix knew his own Psynergy was outmatched in this place.

Fire and ice started to shoot outward as Felix got closer to where he had last seen Garet and Mia taking cover, vines falling into ash and the earth freezing and then shattering under the combined elements it was being subjected to.

Having regrouped the three of them did their best to keep up with a very similar strategy, burning away any vines, or shattering Psynergetically held walls, while Felix did his best to forge a path towards Tret to face him.

A task easier said than done, rogue vines bit at them and sliced their skin, earth enclosed around their feet and stalled their progress.

Garet let out a pained yell as a piece of earth impacted his hand and carried it to the ground where it began to compress. Felix was quick to try and wrench it free with his own Psynergy, calling upon Granite to shield them while he did.

Garet's hand was crushed, mangled by the pressure Tret had forced on him. Mia laced a short _Ply_ into it, nothing to heal it fully, but enough to dull the pain and begin the process of restitching muscle and bone into the proper place.

It was a challenge merely to get to Tret in order to face him, the actual fight with him was very much the same. Felix and Garet tried to swing their weapons, managing to impact a rock wall or get entangled in vines more often than they could bite into the very bark-like shell of Tret's face.

Every moment of the fight Felix was sure the chamber was going to collapse on top of them, crushing all of them and bringing Tret's tree crashing down on top of Kolima forest.

A spire summoned up behind Tret seemed to pin him in place momentarily as it dug into the back of the beast. Mia was quick to capitalise, _Ice_ raining down onto Tret as he roared in pain only for one of the shards to penetrate the protective shell and pierce one of his eyes.

Garet followed up quickly, Fever bonding with his axe as he swung, smashing the face backwards and through the _Spire_ Felix had summoned.

They did their best to press their advantage but Tret roared in pain, the wooden exterior of his apparition falling away to reveal a ghostly image of a skull floating before them. With the roar came waves of Psynergy, brambles and shafts of earth erupted beneath their feet and knocked them off balance, where they continued to batter and slice at them.

Felix caught the image of Fizz floating above them, dispersing it's healing energies like rain. He was quick to roll back to his feet, calling upon Breeze to speed his retreat from another wave of approaching brambles.

Mia did much the same, calling upon Gust, though rather than retreat she was closing the distance, her mace contacting Tret's jaw with an upward swing that knocked the monster back against the wall he had appeared from.

With the monster stunned Garet did what he could to freeze Tret in place with Sleet's power.

"Mia, summon!" Felix called out as Mia twirled away from an incoming barrage of vines.

Felix levelled his arms towards Tret, feeling the strength of the two Jupiter Djinni they had used flowing through them, as he called upon Atalanta. Across from him, Mia was doing much the same with those of her own element.

Tret was thrashing around violently, the ice Garet had summoned, rock, and branches, showering down on them in a mix of broken shards, stone, and splinters. Garet did what he could to incinerate the debris with a _Flare Wall_. Felix and Mia were defenceless as they summoned.

Then the chamber began to glow, time seemed to stop, as two shimmering women appeared in the room. One floated above the ground, a bow and arrow too large for anyone to wield in her arms. The other rode a tortoise, purple hair cascading down over an elegant dress.

Together they assaulted Tret with power beyond anything Felix had believed possible before he left Vale. Arrows appeared as if from nowhere, glowing purple with electricity and Jupiter's power and launched themselves into Tret's form, while geysers erupted all around him, forcing him back with such force that whatever his skull was made of started to buckle under the force.

Tret roared before a geyser cracked his jaw and an arrow broke it completely. The three Adepts were quick to jump back behind cover as the summons came to an end, their attacks exploding outward with incredible force.

Just as quickly as they had come the women vanished, and Tret gave a final pained noise through his broken apparition before it dissolved into those familiar coloured orbs.

Felix took his time to move again, leaning heavily into one of the pieces of earth that had been upturned during the fight, breathing hard. He felt exhausted, every inch of him stung and bled, and it felt like there was no Psynergy left in his body.

"Everyone okay?" He panted, still unmoving.

"Other than my hand." Garet answered, a definite wince in his voice.

"I will be." Mia answered, before Felix heard a cry of pain.

He scrambled to his feet to find wherever Mia was. Light was thankfully more available after Tret had knocked parts of the ceiling loose. Mia was sitting against a wall, hand around a piece of wood embedded into her leg.

Before Felix could get closer to take a look she had already pulled it from herself with a clenched cry. Felix was beside her as her Psynergy attempted a Ply only to pitter out.

"I've got it." He assured, working what little reserves he had left into a _Cure_ to mend the wound in her leg.

"Thanks." She offered a smile, tossing the shard away from her and grabbing Garet's hand as the two boys helped her stand.

Then there were groans from the back of the room. Despite their exhausted and injured state the group did what they could to ready themselves for another fight. None came though, the face of Tret embedded into the wall simply started to open its eyes.

Tret began to mumble to himself in confusion, sorting out the events that had occurred, possibly not even realising the three of them were there with him. He muttered about the evil in his own heart, and his thanks that it could be vanquished before he slipped into his own demise.

"Wait!" Mia stumbled forward out of Felix's and Garet's support. "You can't die!"

"Who? Oh… warriors, please forgive me for all I've done to you."

"Nevermind us!" Mia yelled. "The people of Kolima, you've cursed them! If you die they die too!"

Realisation seemed to dawn on Tret's face as all his evil self had done came back to him. "Hroom! I must release them before they die with the forest!"

The group watched as Tret glowed with Psynergy, sparkles like the ones that had turned the others into trees emanating from him in weak spirals.

"I can't do it…" Tret groaned, his voice weak. "People of Kolima… forgive me..."

"Hang on," Mia said as she stepped closer to him, hand reaching into one of the bags she carried with her. She produced the bottle of sparkling Hermes Water and uncorked it, pausing momentarily at what she should do with it.

After her quick deliberation she raised the bottle high above Tret's face, tipping the contents down over him. She held the bottle there until the very last drop of the sacred water splashed upon Tret's forehead.

Mia took a shaky step back, quickly supported by both of the boys stepping forward to support her. For a long moment there was silence, and nothing happened.

"H-Hroooom!"

The chamber came to life all around them, earth quaking and roots surging around them in an impressive display of force.

"Life flows through me once more!"

The room continued to shake, but the ground was levelling to a more flat surface, the ceiling mending and stitching itself back together as roots burrowed out and presumably away into the ground to support the mighty body of Tret's tree.

Psynergy started to flow off of Tret in waves, spirals of shining sparkles spreading out and scattering to every corner of the chamber and further still.

Then things came to a stop, everything settled as the three Adepts stood in a now pristine chamber with Tret. Roots neatly wrapped around the walls and the ground was smooth and unbroken after the intense battle.

"Young ones, I thank you," The voice of Tret was calm, measured, but loud and rumbled the very ground they stood on. "The people of Kolima are cursed no more."

Felix offered a nod, "Thank you. I'm sorry but we do not have time to stay."

"Should you ever have need of our help, you need but ask." Tret replied, as vines started to grow upward from the centre of the room, leading up and out.

Felix, Garet, and Mia, were all too happy to accept the way out having experienced more than enough in the cramped space at Tret's heart, and were quick to climb the vine he provided up and out of him.

Through the earth they could hear a rumbling conversation between Tret and Laurel above them. The vine wound up through the ground rather than back up and into Tret's body, and they found themselves emerging at a midpoint above ground between Tret and Laurel. As Garet climbed up last the hole they had come through closed up behind them.

"We thank you, young ones," Laurel's voice. Felix found it tough to know where to look when the speaker's voice was fixed into the base of a tree, but the group rounded the trunk to face Laurel proper. "Without you the forest and all life within it would have perished."

"Happy to help, but we must be on our way," Felix replied, the group bowing low, having no time to spare. After all, Jenna's group must have already been days ahead of them at this point.

Wait…

"Laurel." Felix spoke up as Garet and Mia turned to leave. "When we first entered the forest, you mentioned another group with powers like our own. What became of them?"

The face of Laurel blinked, "Yes, a large group. They passed through our domain, stalling only briefly due to Tret's glamour."

Tret offered an apology once more.

"How long ago?"

"It has not been long," Laurel answered. "Perhaps little more than a week. However, I still feel their presence within the forest."

Felix nodded a quick "Thank you" to Laurel before turning to leave.

"They will likely be stalled south of the river."

Felix turned back, surprised to see Psynergetic sparkles now coming from Laurel.

"An evil forest has has risen up to the south."

Felix grumbled. He'd had more than his share of evil forests and the taste it left in his mouth whenever he felt a negative energy from his own source of power.

"I sense a presence within the forest now. Seek aid from Fuchin Temple, they shall grant you safe passage through that cursed place."

Felix smiled, offering yet another thank you. It seemed they had a new destination, and friends they could count on there to help them catch up to Jenna.

"Go well, child of Aleph."

Felix hadn't heard either Tret or Laurel as they gave their goodbyes to him.

* * *

The group was in much higher spirits once they had left the depths of the forests proper. A joy and relief that only doubled after two weeks as they reached what was now the bustling town of Kolima. All around there were families and friends hugging, happy tears being shed, reunions and salvations from the curse lifting the town into a truly happy place.

Felix found himself smiling wider than he had in quite some time, perhaps since before the eruption, at the faces of the Koliman people as the group restocked on supplies–supplies the Kolimans were happy to grant to them at a discount. It seemed that Tret had transmitted his thoughts to the town as he had done to them before to explain what had happened, and to help Felix's group for all they had done.

"I'm sorry," Mia offered, as they were back on the road–in a Koliman wagon–heading south to Fuchin Temple from Kolima.

Felix didn't respond, simply gestured for her to continue with a confused look.

"I have been… harsh," Her face was scrunched up in thought, not looking at Felix or Garet now. "Cold. Unbefitting of one of my station."

"No, it's understandable," Felix began. "You-"

"Have been unfair. More than that I am not proud of the choices I've made since joining you," she stared at the floor of the carriage. "I have been single-minded in my duties as a guardian… as one of the last Mercury Clan members. It was my duty to protect Mercury Lighthouse, and it is now my duty to stop Alex and his group."

"But I have forgotten myself, my place as a healer. Had circumstances been different I would have insisted that we save Kolima… but the desire to hunt down Alex was too strong."

"Mia," Garet rested a hand on her shoulder, but he said no more.

"I'll say it plain, I still do not trust either of you. You have made clear your mistakes to me, and your failures as guardians in your own right… But I am not perfect either. You have good hearts, and you want to do the right thing, perhaps to a fault."

She took a deep breath and turned to look at both of them, lingering a while as she looked at both of them in the eyes.

"Trust does not come easy to me. But… I will try. You deserve that. And, I hope you will forgive me."

"Of course!" Garet exclaimed loudly, the hand on her shoulder now wrapping around her and pulling her into an embrace. The woman flushed brightly.

"We didn't hold it against you, Mia," Felix smiled, though he chose not to admit just how grating he sometimes found her behaviour. "Hopefully, we can be friends if the world doesn't end."

Mia laughed at that, now released from Garet's grip.

Maybe they could be.

* * *

Travelling was decidedly more pleasant since the wagon had delivered them to the Kolima Bridge. They still had to contend with the ordeals of travelling and camping, as well as the rabid animal and monster attacks that they often encountered.

But with Mia now a little more open to friendship, camping was much more enjoyable. She would engage in conversations and talk with them, often enough offering apologies for dodging or ignoring subjects and questions in the past.

It breathed new life into Felix, and undoubtedly the other two as well, who found the enjoyable company distracted him from the arduous task set upon them and that of each and every day they endured.

They arrived at Fuchin Temple in what felt to Felix like a couple of days when it had been well over a week since Kolima Bridge. It was a singular building nested high into a cliff face, accompanying a waterfall that reminded him oh-so-much of the one outside his old family home.

He shook the thought from his mind and began to speak to the villagers about any place they could perhaps rest or restock supplies.

It was quite shocking then, when these people seemed to have expected them, and even called them by name as they talked with them, explaining to them that the master of the temple wished to see them as soon as possible.

None of them were quite sure what to make of that. Laurel had said that help would be found here, but to be expected and received so readily had them just a tiny bit on edge.

Regardless, they made the climb up the mountain steps, very much like Vale's would wind through the hills and cliffsides, and to the temple doors. Guards on either side of them bowed, informing them the master awaited them, and they opened the doors wide.

Felix stepped through first, marvelling briefly at the architecture and design of the temple, before his eyes fell upon a single man within the room. The man didn't move in the slightest, he sat cross-legged, eyes shut, at the centre of the room. He didn't move at all, were it not for the others of the temple he would assume the man to be a statue, or worse: dead.

Felix simply exhaled a breath and took a few steps forward, Garet and Mia close behind, before taking a cross-legged seat in front of the man.

It was silent for a long time, not even the sound of the waterfall outside could be heard within the chamber, at most all Felix could hear was the whistling of breath through his own nose.

"Um," Garet leaned in closer and whispered. "What do we do?"

"Impatient, aren't you?" An elderly voice laughed in Felix's head. Garet made a quick noise and leaned away, presumably having heard the exact same in his own.

Felix nodded after a moment. "Uh… Somewhat?" He felt a little dumb for admitting to it, especially out loud, but judging by the fact nobody shot him a look, Mia and Garet must have heard it too.

The voice let out a humming sort of sound, before the eyes of the old man opened, taking them in. Felix felt the wisdom from this man, who was older than even the elders of Vale, and hoped that he could help them in some way on the next leg of their quest.

Maybe he'd help them actually meet Jenna face-to-face without being on the next Lighthouse.

"Now now, don't get too ahead of ourselves." The voice inside of Felix's head said.

"Sorry." Felix mumbled. Then he introduced everyone: "I am Felix. This is Garet and Mia. We are… pursuing somebody. A group of people. Laurel of Kolima had sent us towards your temple, and she said help would be available here."

"Yes, yes," this time it was spoken out loud. "I know Laurel. She is wise beyond her years… Though admittedly I have known her since I was a wee lad, and she was an old tree then."

"So you'll help us?" Garet asked eagerly.

"Why do you pursue these people?" The man asked in return.

A moment of silence fell across the group. Then Felix spoke, "They violated sacred places to both Vale and the Mercury Clan. They've kidnapped people. We are seeking to stop them, and make them pay for their sins."

"Ah… Heavy is the heart of the man who must punish others for their sins."

Felix swallowed. "It is our duty, as protectors of Sol Sanctum and Mercury Lighthouse."

A moment of silence stretched out, as neither party said anything. Felix could swear he could count the time by his heartbeat's pace. Finally, the man spoke.

"Your path grows more dangerous the further you lead your friends away from their homes. Not just through Mogall Forest, but throughout the world."

"I know."

"So… will you help us?" Garet asked, trying to cut to the gist of the matter.

"Are you willing to help yourselves?" The man asked. "You may ask for my help, but the true question is that. You must be willing to help yourself, instead of relying on others for help."

Felix blinked, feeling as if the conversation was going around in circles. It was hurting his head, and he was not used to that feeling, at all.

"Well… We've gotten this far as just the three of us," said Felix, "so I think we _can_ help ourselves. It was merely a matter of being told there would be help in some form or another."

"I see." The man stood up, gesturing for the three young adepts to stand.

"I am Nyunpa. I will assist you through the Mogall Forest on your quest."

* * *

Sky: Sorry for the wait! We are very excited to see how people feel about this chapter! Have a lovely time 33

Droory: Thanks so much for reading! Sorry for taking so long! I look forward to hearing what you thought of it, please let us know! Thank you again!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	7. The Altin Mines

Another chapter! One of the more fun ones to write so we hope you enjoy it!

* * *

The cave behind Fuchin Falls had been a time-wasting diversion Felix could certainly have done without. It hadn't been a particularly vexing or challenging cave to overcome–Nyunpa had offered _some_ hints to guide them towards the end–and while they had bonded with a new Djinni and found Garet a Psynergetic weapon, Felix didn't feel as though this Force Gem was an outstanding reward.

Nyunpa had explained its use to them before he had sent them off towards Mogall, cryptic advice about them letting go of their belief that fighting would solve the problems of the forest accompanying it. Felix was dubious at first that a small gem would produce Psynergy that made all of Mogall bend to it.

He was surprised when he found his Psynergy hindered amongst the fog and damp of the Mogall Forest, Venus Psynergy once more leaving a sour taste in his mouth, and that the Gem allowed them to use their powers.

Thankfully they managed to keep pace rather well, finding that some of the animals of the forest hadn't succumbed to the madness that most others had. They were scared more often than not, fleeing deeper into what felt like a looping forest whenever Felix utilised the Force Gem in an effort to move logs that blocked their path.

The monsters of the forest were a different beast altogether though, having to fight without the assistance of their Psynergy proved a crutch none of them were truly used to. Mia took to it the best, her training as a guardian allowing her to get into physical battle with little reservation, even if she did stumble once or twice in an effort to use her Psynergy.

Thankfully, Felix and Garet had their Psynergetic weapons on hand, loosening flurries of slashes and winds of arctic ice with each Psynergetic howl the blades let out. The Djinn too, of which they had found another within, proved unphased by the miasma of the forest and were capable of using their powers to slay the strange creatures that seemed to repair every injury with vines.

After some time–Felix couldn't keep track, though it was much longer than how it had felt–Felix could feel the Venus Psynergy in him growing calmer, perhaps sensing the end of the forest up ahead. There was a collection of small ape-like animals that had fled from them gathered near a tree stump.

The group advanced slowly, not wanting to scare or anger the animals if they proved territorial now at the end. As they got closer though, something seemed to start agitating the apes. They started to grow louder, jumping around anxiously, before yelling as they dispersed in various directions.

Felix and the others formed a cautious circle around one another, weapons at the ready as they felt a rumbling in the forest ground. The rumble grew louder before an ape easily twice the size of each of them burst from behind a wall of trees, roaring in unbridled rage, sparkling pieces of Psynergetic stone jutting from its engorged body.

Felix felt a pang of pity for the beast, it had likely undergone such a transformation just as Tret had, but that pity was quickly replaced with worry as he dodged past the beast's rampaging charge.

The battle didn't take particularly long, the monster was mostly mindless, driven by pure anger and instinct than anything else. The mix of unleashes from their weapons and the help of their Djinn beat it down rather fast. If Felix knew some way of curing the ape, removing the Psynergy stones lodged in its body or using any remaining Hermes Water he would have.

Unfortunately, all the group could do was offer the ape a quick death, ending whatever suffering the beginning return of Alchemy had brought upon it.

Felix breathed out a deep sigh as the ape disintegrated into a multitude of glowing orbs, the stones lodged in its body doing the very same. He wasn't one to pray, but he did wish that hopefully the rest of the world wasn't suffering as that creature had.

Once they arrived in Xian some many days later, it seemed a positively charming little town, the architecture was sublime, the river had beautiful flowers that bloomed upon its surface, and the people engaged in all manner of activities in the beautiful early summer weather–slightly warmer than Vale's own.

Felix, Garet, and Mia, however, were given no chance to absorb and engage with any of it. Upon their arrival a purple haired girl almost immediately accosted them and demanded they follow her to meet her father.

She pointed to the largest building in the town, so Felix had assumed her to be the daughter of the mayor, or whatever it's equivalent may have been, in Xian. The group soon found themselves in what seemed to be an indoor training area, where many of the people of Xian practiced hand to hand combat with each other and several dummies and objects.

"Father! They have arrived!"

Had they been expected yet again? Felix turned a curious glance to both his companions who only offered confused faces and shrugs in response.

An older man stepped out from another room, closing the distance on them and his daughter with a curious expression. Felix offered an awkward greeting to the man as he studied them, before he turned to his daughter.

Felix blinked and exchanged another glance with Garet and Mia as the father and daughter began speaking in a language unfamiliar to him. Garet offered a shrug, but Mia gave a whispered explanation that the common tongue was less practiced in certain areas of Weyard, speaking a few words of Imilian to illustrate her point.

Felix made a face, he hadn't expected languages to be so vastly different. Vale's wasn't a huge leap to what the common tongue was, but Xian seemed to be entirely different even down to its sounds. Whatever this conversation between the father and daughter was however, seemed to be escalating, voices growing louder and the girl emoting much more as it went on until she eventually stormed out with an aggravated huff.

"I apologise," the older man said. "I am Master Feh. I welcome you to Xian, warriors."

The three of them bowed and introduced themselves, another Master so soon after Fuchin. No doubt the head of Xian village as Felix had assumed at first.

"I hope your stay at Xian is pleasant. I am sorry about my daughter. She believes in dreams she has had. She says she has seen you."

Not the strangest thing Felix had ever heard, but certainly something to give him pause regardless. She didn't seem dangerous at the very least, stubborn at most.

"You shall find the inn to your left when you exit. I must return to teaching my students Chi." Master Feh bowed to them, extending an arm as though to guide them back outside the apparent school they were in.

The group bowed low again, thanking him for his hospitality. They weren't quite sure what to make of what had just transpired, but thought it best not to dwell on it. The idea of a warm meal and a bed after so long on the road–and even longer since they'd stayed at the inn in Bilibin–was too comforting an idea to ignore.

The purple haired girl was nowhere to be seen as they made their way towards the inn. Garet was smiling broadly as he admired the sights of Xian, perhaps too much so as he eventually ended up colliding with a young woman, emptying the contents of the water vase she was carrying all over the ground.

He apologised profusely, offering to help the girl refill and carry however much water she needed, leaving Mia and Felix to check into the Xian inn without him for now. With the rooms booked Felix collapsed thankfully into the warm comfort of his bed, equipment tossed in a messy pile by the bedside table.

Time passed by at a pace Felix didn't care to keep track of, Garet eventually re-entering the room just a little bit wet, but with a new Mercury Djinn friend accompanying him.

A few hours later as they found themselves at a table, eating the wonderful Xian cuisine served at the inn, Felix found himself smiling broadly. He had never considered leaving Vale before in his life, it had never been a thought that ever really occurred to him.

Perhaps he was a little tired from the weeks of camping and the long trek from Fuchin to Xian, but he was almost glad to have been forced to chase Jenna for the fate of the world. He never would have gotten to meet Mia, or the delightful community of Kolima awash in a place of Venus' peace, or the very unique community of Xian. He never could have sampled the amazing foods, or seen the amazing sights he had seen, or befriended the many Djinn that now accompanied them.

Perhaps overall the quest was not as terrible a burden as he had been feeling when first he set out.

It was the following morning, after a comfortable rest and bellies filled with flavourful food, that the group set out again. They didn't make it far beyond the borders of Xian before the purple haired girl from the day before stopped them in their tracks.

"You are after the others."

Her words were simple and direct, but set off bells inside the three Adepts.

"How did you know?" Felix asked warily.

"I have seen it. In my dreams. I saw them. They were here not long ago," the girl continued, her sentences quick and to the point. "Come with me. I can help you. But you must help me. Hsu is in danger."

That was a lot of information, but the fact that Jenna and her group were confirmed to have only passed through Xian perhaps a day before they had was too big a revelation to dismiss.

Felix was thankful that whoever this 'Hsu' was they seemed to have required help in the direction they were already heading. He'd had enough distractions and detours and he doubted Mia, even in her newly friendly state, would tolerate many of them.

Feizhi proved to be a rather helpful addition to the team, while she tended to talk at length to them about the dreams she would have and how they came through–citing Mogall as an example–she was also no slouch in battle.

She fought monsters with her fists, but beyond that she also seemed to generate powerful energies behind each of her blows, being able to deliver strikes far more impactful than her body suggested capable.

Chi, she called it: some sort of energy from the body that was channelled and focused behind each strike to amplify its power. Felix didn't quite understand it, but considering he and his companions used energy of the mind to manipulate the elements he couldn't exactly say anything.

It did take quite a bit of explaining to help Feizhi understand just exactly why fire, ice, and earth was simply appearing as if from nowhere. At first she had assumed it to be a form of Chi, but after some time she came to call it Ki, expressing confusion when she learned they had not studied under Nyunpa at Fuchin.

All in all however she was a fun addition to the team, the three of them had gotten rather used to one another over the months since Imil, so having a new person to engage with as they travelled–as well as one headstrong enough to attack a roaming Mars Djinni with her fists–was more than welcome.

It took about two weeks to make it from Xian to the Alpine Crossing, where Feizhi was sure that Hsu was in trouble due to the visions she had, but when they arrived the passage was completely blocked.

"I do not understand," Feizhi said as she looked at the collapsed cliffs. "These roads were well when I visited Master Hama last."

Felix stepped up, placing his hand on a boulder and scanning the cliff faces. There were definite scorch marks all along the cliff face, stretching as far as the eye could see. No doubt Jenna's group had collapsed this road to slow their progress.

"Is there any other way around?" He asked, having nowhere near the strength it would take to shift all the damage to the road.

Feizhi's brows furrowed as she looked down what was once the Alpine Crossing, before nodding, "Yes. The mines in Altin. They are dangerous now. Beasts live there."

Felix and Mia exchanged a look and sighed; another detour it seemed.

"Lead the way."

Some hours later they found themselves in Altin, a complete mess of a town. Its people all stood high upon the ridges of the mountain it had been built into, tracks for carts criss-crossing along the mountain edge, while beneath them lay a shimmering pool of water.

"After the blue light in the north, around winter time." The villagers had explained, claiming that following the night after the sky lit up blue monsters appeared from within the depths of the mine. All of them had been driven out of the mine and had to evacuate their homes as the monsters started to produce water at an incredible rate.

Felix gave Mia a reassuring pat on the shoulder, having seen her shake–possibly from disappointment or rage–at the mention of the Mercury Beacon being the cause behind Altin's woes.

Their goal was thankfully relatively clear, they needed to get through the mines to progress which meant they needed to slay the monsters who were flooding the town. One such beast was standing upon a ridge on the far west of the mountain, the villagers too scared of it to try to mount any retaliation to what it was doing, spilling water from its mouth into the ever growing lake that Altin had become.

The four of them quickly advanced on the creature, finding it to be vaguely lizard shaped, and glimmering as though its scales were made of gems or marble. As they got closer the water flow stopped, the beast loosed a roar, and retreated into a nearby mine shaft.

The group hurried after it, chasing it down deeper into the mines–finding it flooding another portion of them–before they were able to engage it properly.

The statue-turned-monster did not put up much of a fight, which Felix was more than thankful for, its lack of arms and its short legs meant it moved rather slowly and its only true method of attack was the water it spat from its mouth.

The problem was it was rock solid, weapons clanged off of it with limb-shaking force, and no traditional attack seemed to chip it in the slightest. Their Psynergy was thankfully a little more effective, even seeming to cause the living statue some actual pain. It was Feizhi's Chi that truly seemed to rattle the monster though. Punches and kicks that never touched the monster forced it back, rock buckling beneath each blow, until eventually an entire leg came loose and shattered.

As the statue fell, the group redoubled its efforts, bringing all they had to bear against it. With its new lowered and immobilised position the statue could do little more than roar, thrash, and spit water in vain, until Feizhi shattered the head of the monster.

While the majority of it did disintegrate into the colourful dust Felix was used to seeing, he was surprised to find that a part of it remained shattered on the ground as an actual statue. Moe surprising still was that the portion of the mineshaft that had been flooded by it started to rapidly disappear, whether it had been draining away during the fight or the defeat of the statue itself caused it Felix couldn't say.

Regardless, the group was now free to explore deeper into the mines, finding more and more pools and statues churning spit at an incredible rate into each one. Worryingly though, as they defeated more and more of the statues–as well as a hostile Mercury Djinni–and were able to dive deeper into the mines, Felix began to get a sense of familiarity.

The rock walls that had been mined away revealed gleaming stone walls behind them, hollows in the cave where no doubt the statues had stepped out of showed decorative plinths of bright white stone with decorative blue tiling.

The architecture reminded him of what he'd seen inside Sol Sanctum. These statues, whatever they truly were or whatever their original purpose was unknown to Felix, were Psynergetic in origin. They had been made with some Alchemical secrets to act as possible guardians to whatever ancient temple or sanctum they now stood inside. Had the Altin Peak been some revered site in the distant past like Sol Sanctum had been? Perhaps some lost temple of the Mercury Clan?

There were no answers to be found as they fought deeper and deeper into the mines, simply more monsters–attracted by the chaos and freedom the statues had created–as well as the statues themselves.

Several hours later, with journeys through the mines and back into Altin as the water receded dispersed throughout, the group found themselves at a dead end. The majority of the flooding had been undone, presumably all the statues beaten, but the path to the other side of the Alpine Crossing through the mine was blocked by boulders far too large in corridors far too small for them.

Felix had tried to shift the rocks, moving them back and forth and trying to shake them free, to no avail, even Feizhi's Chi did little to smash them apart or free them. It was after several minutes of this frustration that Garet loosed a heavy annoyed breath as he said he was going to find another way out of the cave.

Felix understood his frustration, and sympathised, but couldn't stop his own annoyed growl from escaping him as he was forced to chase after his hot-headed friend to some other part of the mine in case he got attacked.

Their voices echoed off the mine walls as they called out to him, ringing out along each now abandoned mineshaft, before falling silent.

Then the rumbling started.

The ground quaked.

Then the mine shook with the sound of crashes.

And behind it all was Garet's voice, yelling as he soon ran right into the group, shouting loudly for them to run.

Felix froze up as he looked behind Garet, at the sight of an immense boulder–

– _falling down from above the waterfall. The terrible crashing and noise of the storm ringing in his ears, the screams from friends and family echoing in his ears, as he desperately scrambled to get to his home._

 _Jenna gripped his hand so so tightly as she did her best to pull him along. But he was tired, so weak from fighting the river for so long, and he did all he could to keep up, but he kept slipping._

 _Then his sister moved behind him, she felt her small hands press into his back and shove him forward into his home, and as he tumbled he watched the Aleph Boulder-_

-crash through the mine floor below them.

Felix gasped, struggling to breathe through ragged breaths, as the mine shook with the noise of the damage that boulder had just done. It took him a few seconds to register everything, but found himself huddled against Garet, shivering and shaking far more than he was ever comfortable with other people seeing.

He grabbed at his cloak and pulled it closer to his face as Mia and Feizhi looked at him, asking if he was okay. He could only give a nod for now, still shaking despite how tightly Garet was holding him.

The girls took a seat nearby, not too close, while Felix recovered. Garet held him through it all, just silently letting his friend work through it. It took longer than Felix liked, and his cheeks burned with shame when he finally stood up and the girls asked him how he was, but soon enough the group was on the move again, following after the path the boulder had made for them.

It had smashed through the floor at the bottom most part of the mine, crashing into a chamber hidden deep underneath it made from those same pristine bricks and stones–now damaged and spilled about the hallway–as the ones Felix had seen by the statues old plinths.

There was a dull glow from deeper into the chamber, a soft blue. Felix doubted very much that whatever was down this way would be the way out to the other side of the Silk Road, but if there were more dangers to Altin then it was up to them to end it here and now.

Felix felt a slight pang of guilt at the readiness with which he now invaded this ancient sanctum, feeling as though the teachings of Vale were being lost. If Sol Sanctum was too sacred a place to intrude upon, why not this place? It had its guardians, no doubt to protect some special power from Adepts who sought to misuse it, so who were they to now invade like Sol Sanctum had been invaded?

He steeled himself, remembering that it was the Wise One who had tasked him with tracking down the Elemental Stars and returning them. Whatever power was contained within could only be helpful, they would never use their powers as Jenna and her group had.

A great statue came to life as they moved deeper into the chamber, blue fire erupting around it as it wrenched its feet from the plinth it had stood upon since ancient times. The group all retreated several feet, feeling the ground shake as this statue– easily twice the size of those that they had faced already in the mine–stepped down from its resting place and began to advance on them.

Spouts of water and steam erupted in several jets from its body, spreading out across the chamber and breaking the tiles and rock beneath where the invading Adepts once stood.

Psynergy and Chi erupted in earnest in retaliation to the beasts attack, walls of fire, hails of ice, and barbed vines all lashed out at the creature to unbalance it as ghostly physical force battered against it.

This statue was far tougher than its smaller variants though, easily shrugging off the attacks and pressing its own assault. More jets erupted from it, tearing the chamber apart with each one. Bubbles swirled and frothed at the Adepts, boiling their skin as they burst on contact or immobilised them long enough for a blast of steam to knock them back and into a wall.

Felix let out a pained breath as he saw Spritz fly around the room, sparkling rain soothing each of their burned and bruised bodies as they did. He charged forward, Psynergy calling up a series of vines that burst from beneath the statue's legs, grabbing one and doing all in their power to wrench it out of its stable position.

The statue roared and stomped, the vines flattening beneath as Felix felt Sap's power rush through his arms and into his sword. The blade bit deeper than should have been able, energy trailing from the small wound and into Felix.

He quickly dodged back as a stone claw landed where he had been seconds ago. Garet rushed in, ice flying from his howling blade, as he struck it as close to where Felix had hit as he could. Shards of the statues stone scales scattered about the chamber.

The statue roared again, rearing back as it stomped the ground again. Ice formed all around it as it did, crystallising into jagged knives before raining down upon the chamber in a deadly hail.

Felix called up Granite to try his best to keep the team safe, watching as the ice shattered against the barriers the little Djinni summoned up. Unfortunately more than a few managed to pierce through the Psynergetic defences, drawing blood from each of them.

Mia glowed briefly, Psynergy activating as an image of Spritz flashed in front of her, before she cast _Wish_ , calling down a series of blue orbs that helped close the wounds the ice had inflicted.

The room was quickly covered in a layer of water that was freezing over as the statue breathed chilling breaths, another hail of _Ice Horns_ being summoned up. Garet did what he could, calling up a _Flare Wall_ to try and neutralise as many as he could before they launched.

As though sensing the threat the ice sharpened rapidly and almost the entirety of the attack was focused upon the Mars Adept. Try as he might he couldn't melt or block that many attacks, and Felix could only watch as a series of blades shattered through Garet's Psynergetic shield and pierced his body.

The statue was on top of Garet in an instant, clawed foot pressing down upon his body with tremendous force. Pained chokes escaped him while the others rushed forward to try and both heal him as well as drive the statue of off him. He fell silent as Feizhi's Chi impacted the underside of the statue's chin, staggering it back toward the altar it had stepped off of.

Felix skidded to a halt in the water and ice next to his friend as Feizhi and Mia continued their attack. Garet was completely out cold, no doubt with a few snapped bones–not forgetting the punctures from the ice–in a small pool of blood.

Felix did what he could to quickly work cures over the injuries while calling on Quartz to heal and resuscitate him. The noise of battle continued to rage, ice and water flying in every direction, as Felix tried to heal his best friend.

Garet awoke coughing and spluttering, spattering blood over Felix's face as he did. He lay there and panted for a bit as Felix stood up, to rejoin the battle. Fizz flew past him towards Garet as he charged toward the statue, now a criss crossed mess of broken and cracked stone scales.

Flint surged through Felix's blade as he entered the fray, stone shattering in all directions as the enhanced blow struck and bit into the statue's belly. Another roar as water erupted in a boiling geyser from the wound Felix had inflicted, tossing him back across the room.

He tumbled and skidded past Garet who was clambering back to his feet, skin seared from the heat, before he came to a stop and managed to right himself. It was a long charge back across the slick floor of the room.

Mia kept weaving Psynergy beneath the monster to freeze its feet to the ground and keep it from stomping, while Feizhi did her best to focus on the still gushing wound Felix and Flint had created.

A few well placed strikes of Chi punched the wound in deeper, opening it wider for an attack from Garet's howling blade–also empowered by Gust–to slam directly into the centre of it.

The belly of the statue burst open in a torrent of steam and water, blowing Garet and Feizhi back, as it let out a curdling roar with water dripping pathetically from its mouth. It hadn't fallen yet and was still stomping around as best it could.

Mia was first to capitalise, being the only one still within melee distance of the thing, swinging her mace into the opened belly of the statue and knocking more and more chunks of the monster away.

It must have been the head keeping it alive, all the others had fallen when the head was crushed or shattered. Felix called for Mia to look out as he summoned vines to wrap around the head of the monster, taking advantage of its weakened state to slam it down into the ground.

With it now restrained, struggling and thrashing against Felix's Psynergy, Mia and Felix were free to pound their weapons against the beasts tough exterior. Its outer shell was still resilient though, merely chipping and cracking as sword and mace struck the stony scales.

"Move!"

Felix and Mia both dodged away as Feizhi charged in, jumping high into the air before coming down onto the statue with a powerful Chi empowered kick. She burst right through the statue, stone flying in all directions about her, chipping and scratching against armor, clothes, and skin of the other three.

"It is defeated." Feizhi announced proudly as pieces of the statue began to disintegrate around her.

Felix nodded, as Mia cast _Wish_ over them to heal the damage the final attack had caused, and noted that maybe he'd have to look into learning Chi. Or at the very least, asking for help from Feizhi for a little longer.

With the gem they found in that chamber the four of them were able to shift the boulders barring their exit and emerged on the opposite side of the Alpine Crossing. Feizhi was quick to rush off in the direction of the collapsed road, dragging the others behind her, with no mind paid to the small temple they passed on the way.

"Master Hama!" The girl exclaimed as they came upon the collapsed edge of the road, very much the same as the one that had stalled their progress initially. "You are here to help?"

A tall slender woman stood up from the centre of a group of monks who were working to remove the rocks from the road. Purple hair fell from her head in a neatly braided ponytail, bangs framing eyes of the same colour in an ochre face.

"Feizhi? How did you get here?" Her accent was very different from those of Altin or Xian. Her eyes fell over the three Adepts behind Feizhi, a knowing smile gracing her lips.

"I have had visions, Master. As you believed I could. I saw these people. They are here to help Hsu." Feizhi said rather rapidly, eyes bouncing between Hama and the monks who worked on the road.

"So, Hsu never returned to Xian, as I feared," Hama said calmly as she looked over the Alpine Crossing. "When I heard the landslides occurring I rushed to see the cause, Hsu may well be trapped here."

"We'll help." Felix said, stepping toward her. Their path forward was the other way–through the Lamakan Desert–but after all Feizhi had done for them, they couldn't leave now.

Hama simply nodded, directing the monks under her study toward various portions of the road as Felix's group stepped up. With the gem from the Altin Peak's sanctum they made short work of the heavier lifting. While all they could truly accomplish was a temporary solution of having the heavier boulders float above the ground, it allowed the monks the space they needed to clear the road.

"Hsu!"

Feizhi rushed forward after a long day of work, the body of her friend trapped and unmoving beneath a boulder.

"Is he…?"

Mia was at Hsu's side before Felix could finish the question, working whatever healing Psynergy she still had left within her.

"Alive. Get this boulder off of him, we need to move him somewhere safer."

Felix was quick to cast _Lift_ holding the rock higher than usual so Garet and Hama could carry the man back and away from the Crossing.

"We shall take him to Lama Temple, follow us there." Hama said as she helped Garet.

Felix remained behind for a bit, helping the monks clear away any boulders in case there were any others who had been caught in the landslide. All the while his mind was on the fact that this was Jenna's fault, that if not for his intervention then his sister may have been responsible for an innocent man's death.

There was a part of his mind that told him, no, it wasn't Jenna, she had about as much choice or say in their group as Isaac or Kraden did. Yet still, she was allied with those who had invaded Sol Sanctum the first time and destroyed their family, so she was just as accountable.

When he finally arrived at Lama Temple after a long day he was greeted by Garet and Hama.

The master of the temple bowed low, "Welcome, Felix."

"How's–"

"Fine," Garet answered. "Mia and Feizhi have been looking after him, Hama's sent messengers through the mines to Xian to let them know everything that's happened."

Felix exhaled, nodding, not quite sure what to say now. Hama gestured to a cushioned seat on the floor where she and Garet were both sitting before filling an empty cup with tea.

"Ah, thank you," Felix said, glad to get off of his feet for the day. The warmth of the teacup in his hands and its soothing aroma did a lot to ease Felix after the day he'd had.

"I have been waiting a long time for you," Hama said calmly after a sip from her own cup.

"Sorry," Felix replied, blowing steam from his tea. "I wanted to help the monks clear some more of the road before I came back."

"And I thank you, but it is not what I mean," Hama chuckled, setting down her cup. "I mean you come seeking the Elemental Stars."

Garet almost spit out his own tea. "You know about the Stars!?"

Felix blinked, doing a double take between Hama and Garet. If he hadn't told her then how did she know? Had Saturos' group been here? Hama chuckled again as Garet choked a little bit from his own surprise.

"Perhaps I should start from the beginning," she smiled, before turning her attention a monk standing near the entrance to the temple. "Would you ask Miss Mia to join us?"

Felix and Garet exchanged curious glances as the monk hurried off into another part of the temple before returning with Mia behind him. Hama had already poured another cup for the empty seat Mia now occupied. The blue-haired girl thanked Hama, giving a quick report on Hsu's health, before sipping the tea offered to her.

"Now then," Hama said extending a hand to Felix. "I am Hama, master of Lama Temple, and a Jupiter Adept."

Felix fumbled with his cup for a moment in an effort to set it down before shaking Hama's hand and introducing himself, an action which Garet and Mia quickly repeated.

"Jupiter, power over the winds," Felix responded, notes from his various lectures on Psynergy and Alchemy under the Vale elders and Kraden flooding back to him.

"Quite right," Hama smiled, returning her hand to her teacup. "But perhaps a lesser known ability of Jupiter Adepts is the more… clairvoyant powers they possess."

The three exchanged a glance.

"You knew we were coming, then?" Mia asked, lifting a cautious hand to sip at her tea.

"Excellent question, Miss Mia!" Hama laughed lightly. "Yes, Jupiter Adepts possess the ability of foresight, as well as the ability to read another's mind."

The sudden heaviness in the air was incredible as the three younger Adepts tensed up, eyebrows knitting together as each body cautiously and perhaps unconsciously leaned back.

"Ho ho, do not worry," Hama laughed again. "You would be able to tell, you would see my Psynergy at work. Your thoughts are safe trust me."

The Adepts relaxed slowly back into their seats, fingers gently running along the decorative ceramic of the teacups in their hands.

"Yes, I foresaw your arrival here, just as I have foreseen much of your quest and the events surrounding it. Saturos and his group collapsing the Silk Road for instance."

"So it was Jenna and the rest of them, huh?" Garet exclaimed, almost banging his cup down onto the table. "Those cowards!"

Felix quirked an eyebrow as Hama lightly shook her head. "Young Jenna bears a terrible burden, a burden worse than I would wish onto any person."

Felix did bang his cup onto the table as he leaned forward. "What do you mean by that?" His tone was almost accusatory. Hama made a face, but not one of shock or anger at the stance and question Felix had taken. No, it was one of sadness.

"I am sorry," she responded, her face quickly returning to one of serenity. "I cannot say any more on that matter. Please forgive me."

Felix desperately wanted to press the matter, to find out exactly what Hama meant. A terrible burden? What could that mean? Vale always taught about terrible retribution to those who would seek to break Alchemy's Seal. Would Jenna be…?

"You mentioned Saturos and his group," Mia said after a protracted silence. "I assume they continued through the desert we saw to the west of the Silk Road?"

Hama nodded. "The Lamakan Desert, yes. Since the eruption it has become an evil place."

Felix almost let a heavy sigh escape him at that. Since Kolima it seemed anywhere they went had been affected by the dangers of Psynergy and made evil.

"You will need the power of _Reveal_ to make it across safely." Hama stated, rather matter-of-factly, as though it would be impossible for them without it.

"Why is that?" Mia asked. "Does this mean Saturos and his group have this power as well?"

"The Lamakan Desert has always been a dangerous place, the unprepared could suffer severe heat stroke or worse when travelling through it. Since the eruption however it has become a cursed and unbearable place," She paused to sip her tea. "The heat is something no ordinary man could survive, monsters now plague the sands and illusions hide the only safe bastions one would find there."

"How did Jenna get through then?" Garet's curiosity seeming to get the better of him.

"Saturos and Menardi are powerful Mars Adepts, much more experienced and trained than you currently are, Garet," Hama offered him a smile, meaning no offence. "Their mastery of their element allows them to drive the heat away from their group and keep them safe. In time you shall be capable of it as well."

Garet allowed a little grin to pass over his face as Hama added on that last sentence.

"So we need the power of _Reveal_ in order to dispel the illusions?" Felix asked. "To find these safe places in the desert?"

"Correct."

"And where do we find this power then?"

"You already have."

Felix's brow furrowed as Hama returned a serene smile. He looked down quizzically at the space between them–perhaps hoping to see a gem like the one for Force or Lift–then to his hands and his companions.

" _Reveal_ is a Jupiter-aligned Psynergy," Hama explained. "I shall accompany and guide you safely through the desert."

* * *

Sky: Happy spring forward folks! Today we have sprung forward (haha) in our fic, and we hope you enjoyed!

Droory: Heyo! Thanks for reading, really ho[pe you enjoyed it! Can't wait to what you thought so please let us know!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory


	8. Tolbi-Bound Ship

**Hey all, a new chapter! Hope you enjoy it and that you're all staying safe out there!**

* * *

The Lamakan was unrelenting. Whenever the sands were not burning through the soles of their boots the sun above was boiling the blood in their bodies. They travelled as quickly as possible, Garet doing what he could with his control over Mars to keep the heat away while Mia used her stores of Psynergy to summon showers and water for the group though the reprieve they granted was short.

Their true saving grace was in Master Hama. True to her word, without the power of _Reveal_ that she possessed Felix doubted that any of them would have made it this far through the desert, having fallen to heat stroke or worse long beforehand.

The power was incredible, the hazy heat waves of the desert seemed to lift when Hama cast it, revealing refreshing and cooling oases with sparkling cool water. At first Felix had a few reservations about bathing together with Hama and Mia, but eventually the need to cool off overrode everyone's sense of respect and modesty.

Felix couldn't explain how much of a blessing the oases were, somehow the water was perfectly cool and in the power of Hama's _Reveal_ it felt like it was simply a warm day with a gentle summer breeze passing over them. It amazed him just how relaxed he was, he didn't even need to grip tightly to the nearest edge for fear of sinking deeper and never being able to pull himself back up, he could simply recline and enjoy it without the memories of Vale's river plaguing him.

While the oases did offer them a wondrous break from the desert they always felt all too short as before long they were once more trudging through sands, skeletons, and ruins, on their way west toward Kalay. Their clothes were heavy and sticky with sweat mere minutes after having washed and dried them, and questions as to where the next oasis might be were thrust upon Hama in earnest.

It took what felt like all of their time and effort to finally cross the Lamakan, only to be greeted by a grotesque monster. Some horrifying amalgamation of various beasts, and animals, with the snarling face of a man. The sand around it was stained, scars on its body, suggesting a recent battle, but all the same it struck out at them with terrifying speed and force.

The group did their best to fight back, but the heat was as oppressive as ever and bore down upon them as the monster did. Psynergy and steel swung out at the creature, its body being battered from all sides, but it never let up.

Its tail swung out in a sickening arc, stabbing through Felix's shoulder and flinging him across the desert. He heard a voice yell his name as he staggered back to his feet, working a cure against the wound in his body.

His vision was blurry and he did his best to charge back in on shaky feet. He'd taken worse hits on this journey… what was wrong? Was the heat really getting to him that badly? He stumbled back into the ranks next to the others, feeling a healing _Ply_ coming from nearby as he did.

His movements were sluggish but he was still able to summon vines and swing his blade to entangle and strike at the monster. Felix's vision continued to fail him, images swimming around in front of the blurry sands and monster that was assaulting him.

"He's been poisoned," Hama's voice, he was sure. "Can you cure him?"

Felix felt Mercury Psynergy working through his body after that, feeling something rising up from his chest in soothing waves before he retched and coughed up bile onto the sands beneath him. A sickly green slime dripped from his lips as he wiped his arm against them, his eyesight clearing just in time to duck under the incoming claw of the monster.

Felix rolled away, the skin on his face burning any time a grain of sand brushed against it, and back to his feet in time to see the beast being blown back into the rockwall behind it. Jupiter Psynergy, more powerful than anything any of them could yet muster, assaulted the monster in blades of wind. Air so focused and sharp that each impact it made against the beast shattered its outer carapace and sliced the flesh beneath.

The Psynergy radiating off of Hama in waves easily eclipsed the power that flowed through Felix's or his friends veins, but he had no time to stand in awe of the master Adept. Charging, Arctic Blade drawn and Djinni being channeled through it, he attacked the stunned beast.

Steel sliced at the face of the Manticore sending it reeling backwards in pain, it's body bouncing back against the rock behind it. It's wings spread wide, body turned upward, and began to beat the air in an attempt to escape the current battle. As it roared, shards of ice rained down on it, it's new position placing its face in the prime position to take the brunt of the attack. Many bounced off or melted before they could do any real damage, but many more pierced through the tender skin of the monster's human visage.

Lightning flew forward past Felix, the sand beneath it turning to glass from the intensity of the strike, impacting the beasts underside and shattering the armor there into searing splinters that crackled with electricity.

Garet was in with the attack, using his new axe–wreathed in flame–to cleave upward and into the beast's tender underbelly. It roared weakly, blood and insides spilling onto the sands as it tried to strike out with its tail once more.

A powerful gust knocked it over, stumbling onto its side–as Felix used a vine to pull Garet out of the way–to where Mia stood ready. A swift strike with her mace, and a tremendous crunching of bone, and the beast fell silent.

The group panted, exhausted, overheated, and drenched in sweat, as they hurriedly retreated into the cave the Manticore had been standing guard in front of. The shimmering remains of its form hovered gently in the air before converging upon the four as they did their best to catch their breath and rehydrate once a Psy Crystal had been passed to Mia.

"Hama," Felix panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "You're–"

"Practiced." She smiled in return, sweat ran down her face but she was altogether much more steady than the other three Adepts in the cave. Between fighting with her fists and using such powerful Jupiter Psynergy Felix was amazed she wasn't even more exhausted than he was. "As you shall be before long."

Felix doubted that. Hama was not bonded to any Djinn and still easily outclassed his own abilities, just as Saturos and Menardi did. How long and hard had they trained their Psynergy to become so powerful? For three years he and Garet had been training and practicing in case anything like the Aleph Boulder ever happened again, yet they were nothing in comparison.

Could he really hope to ever be as strong as them?

* * *

It was night by the time they exited the cave and felt the cool summer air on their faces. In the distance, so many miles to the west, they could see the lights of Kalay and all the campfires between them and the city.

Felix wondered if Jenna's group was at any of them.

They had no strength in them to continue travelling though, they had made incredible time through the desert thanks to Hama's help, but it had still taken its toll. Even if they could still venture forth in pursuit of Jenna, if they caught up to them they would easily be defeated in their exhausted state.

They quickly set up camp on a small island near enough to the Lamakan cave, the single bridge being the only access hopefully limiting any monsters that may choose to try and attack them.

As they sat around the campfire, their Djinn flitting about happily as they shared some of their dinner with the sprites, Felix spoke up.

"How much do you know about Jenna?"

The Djinn continued to move about but the four Adepts went silent and still once eyes had turned from Felix to Hama.

"Please."

Hama inhaled deeply through her nose before letting it out through her mouth. Her eyes were closed for a long while before she opened them and turned to Felix.

"I don't," she answered simply. "I have premonitions and visions of the future, flashes of what may or may not come. There are some details, who she travels with, where they travel to, but nothing concrete or personal. I cannot say I know your sister, Felix."

Felix gave a small nod, turning a defeated gaze and a sigh into the firelight between them.

"However… do not doubt that she is still exactly that. Despite what she has done and may yet still do, she is your sister. While you may feel hate, I know you feel love, as she feels love for you."

Felix fumed, fingers drumming against his knee. He wanted to protest, to stand up and yell in defiance against Hama's words… but he couldn't and didn't.

"You may not believe me when I tell you I can understand the loss of a family member despite them being so close. But you must believe that your sister is still there. I do not doubt that she wishes to reach to you as you wish to reach to her."

Felix said nothing, but his fingers stopped rapping against his leg. He wasn't sure how much of what Hama spoke was true, be it through premonition, instinct, her own experiences, or whatever else.

He _had_ wanted to reach out to Jenna, to speak to her. Even after all this time he had barely been given a chance to say a word. The Elemental Star Chamber was so abrupt and their reunion was cut short by those warriors she was with and the eruption.

He did still want to talk to her… to have his only family back. But he also wanted to drag her back to Vale and before the elders for all she had done to the world, all the pain and hardship she had caused. Kolima, Mogall, Altin, the Lamakan… him, who knew how many other places and with the lightning of more Beacons that suffering would only spread further.

She had to be stopped. He still doubted she could be reasoned with, or that she even wanted to be like Hama said, but Felix had to stop her.

"Say, Hama," Mia spoke up after the crackling of the fire had been the only noise for some time. "How long will you be travelling with us?"

Both Garet and Felix turned to look at the Jupiter Adept, the question not having occurred to them. This was their quest, and Mia had joined out of a sense of duty to the Mercury Clan… but Hama was different. If her powers of prophecy and precognition allowed her to see the future then surely she could see how important what they were doing was. Why wouldn't she travel with them to help save the world? With her help they could stop Saturos and Menardi.

"I can't say," Hama answered politely after a moment or two.

"More future vision stuff?"

Hama chuckled, "No, Garet, I'm simply unsure myself. As important as your quest is, I cannot fully abandon the people and places who need me during the changes the eruption will bring."

Garet nodded, lips pursing out in thought at Hama's answer. "In that case, would you be able to teach me some kung fu? That Chi stuff you and Feizhi do is awesome!"

The group chuckled together as Hama consented to attempting that when they weren't just out of a desert or fighting off monsters.

* * *

The travel toward Kalay was relatively calm, monsters and animals seemed to stay away from the well maintained paths and roads that led to and from the merchant city. Their primary encounters were merchants who they warned away from the Lamakan, and the rare stray beast that was easily dispatched.

This left much time for Hama to give them lectures on Chi, combat, and her own understanding of Psynergy. Felix had to admit that having an actual proper teacher give them pointers as they travelled was supremely helpful.

Garet and he had done what they could to learn sword fighting in Vale, practicing with one another as often as possible since the Boulder fell. Mia had quickly shown them how sloppy their footwork was though, having been trained to defend the Lighthouse she was usually able to outmaneuver and best them in one on one sparring with her mace.

The healer had done what little she could to try and make them unlearn the bad practices they had trained themselves into but had little time or success to do it with all that had happened since Mercury.

The teachings Hama offered, both on centering oneself physically and mentally for fighting as well as casting Psynergy took time to absorb, particularly without the chance to stop and practice, but Felix could at least understand the theory behind it all.

Hama mainly spoke about Chi, saying she thought it better for them to learn their own way to master their elements, and how it utilised the body's energy at a cost. Just as an overuse of Psynergy in a battle could exhaust someone an overuse of Chi could do the same, or perhaps even cause damage through over exertion.

Felix doubted that between learning to use their Psynergy offensively–a practice Vale often frowned upon–and learning proper fighting techniques that they could come anywhere close to using Chi, especially not effectively.

Regardless, Hama's teachings were appreciated… and humbling as Felix found himself floored more than once during sparring matches at their campsites on the way to Kalay.

It was quite some time on the road before they were finally able to enter through Kalay city's gates, the streets packed and alive with tourists, merchants, and customers. It was dizzying if Felix was entirely honest, he had never seen so many people in one place.

The biggest crowds he experienced were perhaps festivals in the centre of Vale, but this easily dwarfed that. People from all over gathered and pushed past one another in an effort to sell their wares or purchase something from another or engage in trade, tourists yelled over the crowds to be sure their groups stuck together and understood the history of each building and street.

"We should introduce ourselves to the Lord and Lady of the city," Hama said as they worked their way towards the castle to the north.

"Why? Shouldn't we be after Jenna?" Garet asked, mouth agape as he stared at the various foods and weapons on display in street after street.

Hama didn't respond, simply guided the group easily through the bustling city and to the guarded doors of the castle. Two guards crossed their spears in front of the door and shook their heads to the group.

"This is Lord Hammet's palace. The Lord is away. Please, begone." The first of them said.

"We will happily allow visitors once the Lord has returned." the second added, waving his free hand to shoo the Adepts away.

"We have information on the Lord's son, Ivan," Hama spoke up as she stepped forward. "May we be permitted to see the Lady of Kalay to inform her?"

The two guards glanced nervously from Hama and then to one another before giving a hurried nod and stepping apart to allow access to the palace doors.

"Please, follow me. The Lady will want to see you right away."

The group hurried after the guard as he entered the palace and guided them through the halls to the throne room at the northern end of the palace. Felix wasn't sure what Hama meant by information, they hardly had anything to soothe the Lady's heart about her kidnapped son.

"Lady Layana!" The guard called out as they entered the throne room.

A red haired woman who had been pacing back and forth in front of a pair of thrones at the back of the room stopped and turned to face the group as they entered.

"These travellers say they have information about Ivan."

"What do you know?" She asked, stepping forward and closing the distance between them.

Felix took a step back, surprised by the Lady of Kalay's forwardness as she questioned him. Hama took a step forward and bowed to her, an action which the rest of them quickly mirrored.

"Apologies, Lady Layana," Hama said as she rose.

"Ah, Master Hama, who are these three you travel with?" Layana asked as she shook Hama's hand. "And what do you know of Ivan?"

"The ones I travel with are after the group who kidnapped him, as they kidnapped friends of theirs as well," Hama said, gesturing to Felix and Garet. "They can perhaps inform you of what transpired better than I."

Felix swallowed as Layana rounded on Felix hurriedly, eyes focused heavily on him… but with the softness of a worried mother.

"The group we're after, my sister, stole from our home of Vale and took a friend and the scholar Kraden with them," Felix said slowly. "They caused the eruption of Mt. Aleph and fled. In the chaos they took Ivan from Vault and are visiting the Lighthouses scattered around Weyard. We saw Hammet head north when we arrived there."

"So you are the ones who caught the thieves in Vault?" She asked, a tilt of the head and a raised eyebrow.

Felix and Garet nodded, it made sense that word would have reached Kalay about what had happened in Vault by now.

"So you carry the Shaman's Rod with you as well?"

Another nod, as Garet fished through one of their travelling bags to produce it for the Lady. She took it gently into her hands, fingers wrapping delicately around the wood as she brought the staff closer to her.

"I thank you for safeguarding this. I understand it was your intention to use it as proof of your agreement with Kalay to Ivan."

They nodded again.

"In that case, I ask that you keep it on your travels. When I received word of your plan I wrote a letter for you to show him, with both there should be no doubt. If you pursue the group that took my son, I hope you can use them to prove you wish to bring him home." Layana said as she handed the Rod back to Garet, along with a letter she quickly retrieved from a table by the twin thrones.

"Lady Layana, what of Master Hammet?" Mia asked, drawing a heaviness into the air.

Layana chewed her cheeks for a time, her expression growing colder. "A hostage of Lunpa."

"I'm sorry," Felix said after a short silence. "If we could help we would offer it, but…"

"Thank you, but I would not accept anyway," Layana said as she paced back towards the thrones. "I would not want to distract you from–"

Her lips shut tightly and she threw a cautious look at the group.

"Lady Layana?"

The red haired woman sighed as she sat back into her seat. "I apologise, I said too much."

"It sounded like you knew about our quest?" Garet said, his voice rising curiously.

Layana passed a hand over her face, looking very weary. She chewed her lips for a few seconds as she assessed the four Adepts facing her. Felix did not notice the small nod Hama gave to her.

"In his youth, Hammet swore an oath to a Jupiter Adept."

The three young Adepts gasped, shock evident on their faces. It was exceedingly rare for non-Adepts to know anything about the existence of Adepts, or at the very least the correct terminology for them.

"This Jupiter Adept told a prophecy to Hammet, as well as offering him golden doubloons, advice for the Silk Road… and their son."

"Ivan…" Mia breathed.

"Yes, Ivan was born to Jupiter Adept parents on the continent of Atteka, far to the west. The prophecy stated that when three years after the storm that would strike only Mt. Aleph, Ivan must depart with warriors from Vale. When you informed me that you were from Vale… I knew the prophecy to be true."

"But, Ivan isn't with us…" Garet replied, confused.

"Ah, but he is with your sister Sir…? I apologise, I never asked your names."

The three quickly introduced themselves.

"Sir Felix. Your sister, as well as your friend and the scholar Kraden. Could it not be interpreted that they are the warriors from Vale he must travel with?"

That gave the group pause. Why would it be that a prophecy told of Ivan _having_ to travel with Jenna and Isaac? From what they had learned from Feizhi and Hama a Jupiter Adept's visions were rarely wrong. What could that mean for their own quest?

"Why would the Jupiter Adept have given Hammet so much, trusted with a child, and asked nothing in return?"

"He was tasked with finding an item, Mia," Layana replied. "He was told to use the Shaman's Rod to find an item that would be needed on the quest Ivan must undertake, one that would help him. Yet, Hammet found no trace of any such item or any importance of the Shaman's Rod during his travels."

"Prophecies are not often clear or concrete in their interpretation," Hama added in, having been quiet for some time. "For one, fate has separated both Ivan and Hammet from the Shaman's Rod. Perhaps it is you, Felix, who are to find the item or Ivan himself when you reunite him with the Rod."

Layana levelled a few nods towards Master Hama. "Quite possible indeed. That is why I ask you to continue on your quest, find my son, help him wherever his fated journey brings him and to return him home safely."

Felix bowed to Layana. "I know what it is like to have a family torn apart. We'll do our best to reunite Ivan with his."

Layana gave the four of them a teary eyed smile, thanking them as they excused themselves. Maybe Felix wouldn't be able to piece back together his own family, but he could stop it from tearing apart others.

* * *

With a blessing from Lady Layana, the travelling Adepts were granted access to a horse-drawn carriage to speed their travels toward the Kalay Docks and across the Karagol.

It was a welcome break from travelling on their feet for the better part of a year since the Aleph eruption, and it gave them some much needed time to rest and consider what Layana had told them.

The fact that their journey had been prophesied to happen, and that Ivan somehow had an important role in it beyond his current status as a prisoner worried the group, Felix most of all. Were they perhaps doomed to fail in stopping Jenna? Or would the quest bring them even farther than Gondowan?

Felix had hoped to be able to stop Jenna's group before they even reached Venus Lighthouse, but perhaps their ultimate fates were further afield still years before a resolution.

"Do not dwell upon it, Felix."

The man blinked, looking up from the hole he was boring into the floor of the carriage. Hama was studying him with a curious face.

"It is better to focus on the now, dwelling on the future will have you lose sight of where you are. One cannot move forward without finding their feet beneath them first."

Felix nodded, but could do little about the journey in his mind. His thoughts traced along the maps he had, by the various paths they could take leading to Venus, and to the Lighthouses beyond that. Now and then each traced path stopped, perhaps jolted from their course by a bump the carriage they were in rode over, or perhaps because his thoughts reached a grim end for either his friends or for Jenna's group.

These thoughts continued to plague him by the time they stepped out of the carriage and into the arguing crowds of the Karagol Docks. Felix caught snippets of conversation about Colosso starting soon, tourists not wanting to miss the spectacle, warriors not wanting to miss the opportunity to compete, merchants who wanted to travel for trade, and sailors and captains not wanting to risk lives.

The group pushed through the crowds toward the building near the docked ship, presuming they had to purchase a way across.

"We recommend against buying at the moment, sir," the ticket seller said as Felix inquired as to the cost of four tickets. "The Karagol has recently become infested with monsters. It was quiet enough over the winter but now the weather's warmer a great many beasts have shown up. Couple ships got attacked on the most recent voyages, sailors are afraid to set sail."

"We can fight off any monsters!" Garet exclaimed, thumbing his chest proudly.

"You're not the first would be Colosso winners to think that, son. But, if you're willing, you'll not be the only ones. It may set the sailors minds at ease."

Tickets and coin–a not insignificant sum that thankfully Lady Layana had compensated them for–were quickly exchanged despite the seller's warnings and Felix found himself presenting the tickets to the sailor guarding passage to the ship itself. The sailor offered the same warnings–as well as assuring them he couldn't guarantee a refund–before allowing them on board.

It hadn't settled in until Felix was fully on the deck but he realised just how disconnected and uncomfortable he would be on a ship. Yes, he had some form of anchor in the wood used to build the ship, but once they set sail then all around them for miles would be nothing but water.

His body tensed and his feet fell heavier upon the deck as they moved to the passengers quarters before he felt a squeeze on his arm. He turned–expecting to find the usual support of Garet, but he was marvelling at the sparkling water they floated on–surprised to find Mia's hand there.

"We're not gonna let you go overboard," her face beamed with the gentlest of smiles. "Don't worry, we'll be in Tolbi safe and sound before you know it."

Felix gave the best smile he could muster in response and nodded, reaching to pat Mia's hand on his arm before they continued inside.

"People, please remain calm!" A sailor was yelling over the noise of disgruntled passengers in what Felix assumed to be a main hall of sorts before the passenger deck. "The captain has hired on added protection against the monsters that have been seen around the Karagol lately. We should be departing shortly!"

"Must mean us," Felix mused quietly to Mia and Hama.

"Not just," Hama indicated some large muscle-bound men standing in the corner.

Two men, almost twins in appearance–one blue haired, the other a redhead–stood at the front of the group, easily towering over the others behind them who carried weapons on their backs or hips.

"Volunteer as well?" Felix asked as he approached.

The red-haired man beamed wide as Felix stepped up to them, "As well? You are a brave lad for your age!" A hearty slap onto Felix's back almost knocked him over. "Aye, we volunteered as well. Ouranos is the name, and this is my partner Sean!"

The blue-haired man bowed to them. "We're on our way to participate in Colosso. Just keep your eye on Ouranos, he's scared of ships."

"It's not that I'm scared!" Ouranos objected, face quickly turning the same shade as his hair. "I just can't stand water!"

"We'll get along well then," Felix smiled, extending his hand to the larger man. "Felix. This is Mia and Hama, and I'm sure we'll see my friend Garet at some point."

The group quickly settled in to their introductions and friendly chatter–which Garet eventually joined in on once he was done marvelling at being on board a ship–while they waited to finally set sail.

Felix felt like it took forever, that if he'd been able he could have walked the entire way to Tolbi before the call of "Anchors aweigh!" finally rang out over the deck and the ship–as well as his stomach–lurched forward.

The Karagol was every bit as monster infested as the warnings had told them. It seemed the ship could not travel for more than five minutes in peace before a sailor from the crow's nest would call out and warn of monsters rushing through the water towards them.

Much of the fighting took place on deck, Sean and Ouranos guarding the way to the lower decks while Felix, Mia, Garet, and Hama, repelled any creatures attempting to board the ship. Occasionally a rogue jellyfish or lizard man would somehow breach into the lower decks where other warriors were standing guard.

Felix heard tales of sailors being injured in the brawls down below and of passengers having to be recruited to operate the oars, and was just glad such a responsibility did not fall onto his own shoulders.

Thankfully the small bands of monsters that attacked so consistently were not incredibly threatening. They had dealt with worse and with their Psynergy and Hama on their side it was not difficult to repel or slay any that climbed aboard.

That was until the ship stopped dead in the sea, everyone staggering forward at the sudden loss of momentum and sliding across the slick wood of the deck. Things were deadly quiet, save for the sound of the waves lapping lightly against the ship and the confused groans and murmurs of others.

Felix stood on unsteady legs, blade in hand, as he scanned the railings of the ship… cursing himself for being too afraid to step up to them and look into the depths of the sea below them.

"There!"

Felix whirled around as Mia yelled, watching as something slowly snaked and slithered its way up along the side of the ship. A colossal slimy red… thing, milled about in the air. Nothing happened for the first few seconds, everyone simply staring at whatever this appendage was.

 _Slam._

Ouranos was beaten down into the deck beneath him, followed quickly by Sean who was smacked into the mast by the giant monster that held the ship at its mercy.

The tentacle beat down against the deck again, striking several times at positions where Felix and the others had stood moments before. They hurriedly dragged Sean and Ouranos into the safety of the inner deck, the slamming continuing for a full minute as they hid from it.

Then there was silence again, the slamming stopped and this time there were no noises from anyone else on board. Felix held his breath along with everyone else as he nudged the door outside open.

More of those same slimy red tentacles were crawling over the deck, spiralling up and around the mast, perhaps searching for any other people on board before coming to a stop.

The ship started to heave a creak–calls of water rushing in from the lower decks coming up–as the ship started to get pulled below the sea. Felix wasted no time in rushing outside with his sword at the ready. Blades of wind rushed past his side and sliced into the nearest tentacle, which he quickly followed up by chopping deeper into the wound.

"Duck!"

Felix rolled out of the way as a wall of fire shot forward into the wound, a loud rumbling sound coming from deep beneath as tentacles rapidly coiled and retreated around the wood of the ship, the vessel bobbing violently under the stress of it all.

The tentacle the group had attacked thrashed around, the end of it flailing wildly from the deep cut they had driven into it. Shards of _Ice_ and powerful _Whirlwinds_ forced it back out to sea and away from the ship to try and keep it from causing any damage to them or the ship.

The depths continued to rumble, waves bouncing more heavily against the sides of the ship, spraying foam and froth up over the deck and the four Adepts upon it. Felix staggered backward on shaky legs, gripping the nearby door frame as the ship heaved to and fro. Hama was at his side with a steady hand on his shoulder as Mia and Garet stood ready in front.

More tentacles rose up from the depths around the ship, but with Psynergy at the ready they had little chance to land any strikes. The blind slams were quickly pushed back by wind, flame, or ice. Felix felt pretty useless on board, not having any solid anchor from which to level his usual _Growth_ or _Briar_ Psynergies.

He did what he could to stand ready, wiping seawater from his eyes, as he levelled his sword. He still had his Djinn to help out at the least.

With the first wave of attacks pushed back by Garet, Mia, and Hama, things were quiet once again. Felix swallowed, trying not to pay attention to the sounds of water all around him.

Tentacles surged up from the water, higher than they had before and tangled around the ship, cutting each of the four Adepts off from the other. Each of them did what they could to beat the tentacles away, but they continued to simply slither around the deck until a great roar echoed over the Karagol.

Felix almost slipped from the force of it, covering his ears in a desperate attempt to save his hearing for the coming battle, as he watched the bulbous form of the tentacled body rise up from the side of the ship.

The ship leaned heavily as the beast dragged itself on board, a massive beak snapping wildly to reveal rows upon rows of razor-like teeth within.

Mia was caught between tentacles directly in front of the creature's horrid mouth. Felix could barely see her above the massive things, Mercury Psynergy launching walls of _Frost_ and barrages of _Ice_ down onto the beast's face to slow it's advance toward her.

He slashed at the appendage separating the two of them. Mia had no means of severing a tentacle, simply only able to slow down the beast or retreat as it's maw drew ever closer to her.

Bursts of Jupiter and Mars Psynergy were erupting around the deck, each of them trying to drive back a tentacle, but with its eyes now focused on a prize the monster seemed to care little for some small wounds.

"Echo!" Felix cried, watching the Djinni form a mirror of himself as they slashed down at the tentacle together. Blood spattered out at them, Felix continuing to slice and chop to the best of his ability as he heard Mia yelp and scream from the other side.

Felix yelled, feeling Psynergy surge in his body as he raised his sword high. With a swing down a ghostly blade soared through the sky, slicing right through the tentacle and exploding in a burst of Venus Psynergy.

The monster roared, reeling back as it's severed tentacle flailed around above them. Felix hurried to Mia's side–the Mercury Adept leaning against the nearby mast and clutching one arm in her hand–before taking up a position between her and it.

Humongous green eyes focused in on Felix, a snarling roar from the beak of the monsters mouth unleashed upon him as a foul gas poured forth. Felix did his best to grab Mia and pull her away from whatever this was, aghast to find the hem of his cloak disintegrating from the faintest touch of the monster's breath.

The Kraken dragged itself up onto the deck proper after Felix and Mia had fallen back, tentacles quickly surging about the deck and lifting off of it as it readied more and more attacks.

No longer separated however, the four Adepts were able to put up a united front, shields of Psynergy both offensive and defensive swirled around them as the Kraken's tentacles beat down upon them.

Now and then it seemed to glimmer with the faint glow of Psynergy, water pouring forth from a tentacle or a cut magically healing itself in front of their eyes.

Felix groaned, calling forth Granite to defend them from another onslaught of watery Psynergy. Having to deal with a beast this immense was challenging enough, to know it could heal itself like he and Mia could was another challenge altogether.

Hama was somewhat subdued in the fight, her martial arts putting her in too great a risk versus too pliable an enemy, having to rely purely on her Psynergy in the backlines. Garet and Felix faced the monster down, their axe and sword the most capable of doing lasting damage, while Mia healed and summoned up ice storms.

The two boys rushed forward, Fever and Scorch empowering their attacks as the smaller whip-like tendrils that flanked the Kraken's mouth struck out at them. Sickly green venom spewed forth from the slashing tentacles, barely dodged by the two, as they swung their weapons into the beasts hide.

As much as Felix was thankful for the power the Djinn granted them in battle, feeling their absence once they had been used was often dizzying. He rolled backwards, almost sliding off the still rocking and soaked ship, before coming to a stand next to Hama.

The Master Adept was doing what she could to keep the larger tentacles at bay, consistent strikes of wind and lightning pushing back any as they reeled back to strike out. Her Psynergy was near constantly active, no doubt draining her at an alarming rate.

Felix knew they had to finish this soon but their attacks seemed to do little to phase the titanic creature. Attacks bounced off the squishy hide more often than not and any damage they did manage to inflict was healed before long. They could only hope that maybe it's own Psynergy reserves were much lower to afford them the edge they needed.

Ice rained down onto the deck, sharper and more potent than usual, stabbing right through a number of tentacles and pinning them directly to the wood beneath. The two boys rushed the pinned appendages, blades slashing down onto them as Venus and Mars Djinni worked with each.

The monster roared as another tentacle was cut apart, two of the largest at its back slamming down towards them in retaliation. The boys dodged, watching in horror as Jupiter Psynergy feebly struck against the advancing attack, before the tentacles crashed down upon Hama.

"No!"

Felix dove backward as Garet cast a large _Flare Wall_ in front of the beast, less of an attack and more of a defensive measure. The force of the Kraken's attack had shattered the wood beneath it, Hama's body laying amongst splinters half buried into the deck.

Mercury Djinn and Psynergy were already working healing waters and rain over Hama's body. Felix gripped Mia's hand, nodding to her and then to Garet as he felt some Mercury Djinn pass to him.

Mia rushed into the battle beside Garet–frost condensing up around the monster and keeping it in place while also building a wall between them and it.

Felix called upon Fizz while doing his best to work _Cures_ into Hama's bloodied body. She was still breathing at the very least. He swallowed, hands glowing with Psynergy pressing over each slice or misplaced bone he could find as he worked to keep her alive.

The sky darkened, mighty Psynergetic barriers erupting around the four Adepts. Felix whipped around, watching as Mia continued to cast hails of frost and ice onto the monster to keep it at bay as Garet–glowing with the power of Mars–reached his hand to the heavens.

A great roar rang out across the skies which only continued to darken until the world seemed to be as black as night. A massive purple dragon swooped in from the skies above, green eyes like jewels glimmering in the firelight that came with each breath it took.

Mia and Garet retreated away, the Kraken letting out an ear-splitting scream as the newest foe stood before it. It made to swipe out, tentacles lashing horrifically towards the summoned Tiamat, but the dragon's breath incinerated each to ash.

Tiamat inhaled deeply as the Kraken made to attack again, before unleashing an almighty torrent of cleansing flame over the entirety of the deck. Even through the Psynergetic shield the summon granted him Felix had to lift a hand to his face from the heat of the attack.

All he could do was watch as the Kraken squealed and writhed as it melted and turned to ash from the force of the attack Garet had summoned forth. It was horrifying, and while Felix was happy at the power used to save them, he couldn't help but feel like Jenna was trying to unleash the very same onto Weyard itself.

All at once the summoned elemental and its flames dissipated into nothing, leaving only the shimmering evidence of what was once the Kraken's body hovering in the air about them.

Felix let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. His attention turned to the unconscious Hama, now that the chaos aboard the topside of the ship was over. Hopefully, the ship would be safe and stable, at least for a few minutes. He felt confident enough to lift Hama into his arms and carry her inside, with Mia and Garet being quick to follow.

As Felix pushed himself past some warriors and sailors who were stepping out curiously onto the deck, receiving thanks after thanks from them, the short delays only frustrated him more before he finally got Hama to a safe place to rest. Mia held out her hands finally, pushing the last of her energy into a Ply.

Hama's eyes opened.

"You're safe now," Felix began, watching her take in the scene before them, "so for the moment, you need to rest."

Eventually, the captain found them in the chaos below deck, informing the group of four that they'd be permitted to spend the rest of the–hopefully short–journey to Tolbi resting.

Once repairs had been completed and the injured had been seen and tended to–a delay that luckily gave them plenty of time to rest their weary bodies and tend to Hama's wounds–the ship set sail once more for Tolbi.

Felix actually found the rocking of the ship as soothing–provided he remained in a bed.

* * *

 **Sky: Hey everybody! Can you believe we're approaching the end of the first game? I can't, and it's been such a fun adventure! hope you enjoy, and see you soon 3**

 **Droory: Hey all, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was a fun one to write and I hope you had fun reading! Not many chapters left for the first game now, hope you're all as excited as we are! Can't wait to hear what you think!  
Your friend and writer,  
Droory**


	9. Colosso

**Hey all! Hope you're all well! We got another chapter for you, hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Felix wasn't entirely certain how he had come to be in the presence of the second most powerful man in Tolbi. Standing in the lavish throne room of Tolbi Palace having been escorted through the high stone walls decorated with multiple paintings–of who he assumed to be Lord Babi–while being stared down by Sir Iodem was intimidating to say the least.

The remaining travel on board the Karagol ship was a blur after they had defeated the Kraken–filled mostly with sleep and healing. Some straggling monsters still climbed on board while repairs were made before they could set off again, but for the most part the other warriors could handle it until they finally reached Tolbi.

Hama–who had completely recovered from her injuries–had spoken to the guards after docking and learned of the quickest way south, only to hear that the way was blocked until after Colosso was finished. They all highly doubted that Jenna or her party would allow something like that to stop them so they had wanted to warn the rulers of Tolbi about it or even find a way to get them to briefly open the passage south.

Hama had somehow talked her way into the palace by having conversations with a number of guards before they were eventually brought before Iodem.

"How did you discover Lord Babi is missing?" The regent demanded. "What do you know?"

"Nothing, I am sorry to say," Hama bowed. "We recently arrived from Kalay, having defended the ship along the journey, and heard rumours when docking that Babi had yet to make an appearance at Colosso."

"So, you've come before me with confidence based upon pure speculation?" Iodem seemed equal parts furious and distraught.

"Speculation until a moment ago," Hama answered, before gesturing to the three others. "We are on an important quest and must head south, it is our understanding that we cannot accomplish this without Lord Babi's blessing. We wish to help."

Felix did his best to not look shocked or surprised by anything Hama said, refusing the urge to turn his head to her in silent questioning and simply stared forward toward Iodem.

"A bold move, miss…?"

"Hama," she answered with another bow. "My companions are Felix, Garet, and Mia."

The three of them bowed in turn.

Iodem nodded to each of them, "You stand before Iodem, vassal to Lord Babi, and Lord Regent in his absence." He took a few steps forwards down from the throne to address them on more equal footing. "How do you believe you can help?"

"Uh…" Felix stammered, not expecting to have been addressed despite standing at the front of the group.

"We can search, perhaps find if he has been kidnapped or hurt outside the city. I imagine with Colosso it is hard to form a search party from the guards without raising suspicion or causing worry amongst the many visitors." Hama chimed in, thankfully drawing Iodem's gaze away from him.

"You are correct," he nodded, hand raising to his chin to stroke at the well-groomed beard upon it. "Mobilising the guard is out of the question without exposing Tolbi to increased risk of crime or causing undue panic. However, I do not believe he has been kidnapped."

"Then what?"

Iodem's eyes snapped to Garet who quickly shut his mouth in response.

"Altmiller Cave. Babi has gone ' _missing'_ before in the past, a brief absence at best. I had followed him in secret more than a few times, worried about where he might have gone," he explained. "The cave itself is filled with monsters and I worried terribly, but whenever I followed him inside the mouth it was as though he had completely vanished. There were no traces of my Lord to be found, and before long he would return to Tolbi as though nothing had happened."

"So you think he's stuck in Altmiller Cave?" Mia asked.

"I did, however I sent two guards to search it not long after he departed. They found no sign or trace of him within."

"If we're to find him, the best place for us to look for clues would be there," Felix said simply. "Whether he is deeper into the cave where your soldiers didn't notice or if something happened."

Iodem sighed, nodding, hand moving up to his forehead as he gave it an exasperated rub. "Yes, this is true. I shall of course both compensate and reward you for your efforts, and you shall have a carriage waiting to bring you to and from–preferably with our Lord safe and sound–Altmiller Cave."

"We'll do our best, Sir Iodem," Hama said, bowing again which the others followed up upon.

"However, I must inquire as to _why_ you so urgently need to head south. Things are… complicated past the Suhalla Desert, I must know your intentions."

The group froze up, Hama not providing an answer like Felix had expected her to. Iodem's gaze narrowed suspiciously on the group before Felix answered with a sad sigh, doing his best to play up the emotion of the half-truth he was about to reveal.

"A friend of ours–Isaac–was kidnapped along with treasures from our home. We've been chasing the culprits for a while and have reason to believe they will be heading south."

"Then surely they will be stopped by the blockade?" Iodem suggested, though both his tone and expression had softened considerably.

"Perhaps, but given that the kidnappers had been able to invade our home and escape, as well as keep ahead of us all this time, we'd rather not take the risk. We just want to catch them."

Iodem nodded, "If you give me descriptions I shall send word to the blockade for them to watch the roads for these kidnappers. Unfortunately I cannot overturn Lord Babi's decree, the only way south is with his word."

"We'll find him."

* * *

Altmiller Cave was like a maze, helped none by the fact that there seemed to be no form of natural light able to reach its tunnels. The only source of light they could find was in Garet's Mars Psynergy as he carried a flame in his hand. Luckily there were torches dotted about here and there along the cave walls, allowing them easy passage back the way they came when they were done, but until then they had to venture forth keenly aware of the snarling sounds from the darkness within.

Felix held his sword close to him, doing his best not to jump at any and all noises he heard as Garet lead the group deeper into the cave. With the darkness swallowing all around them shapes danced upon the tunnel walls wherever Garet's flames touched upon, a fact that the monsters seemed to take advantage of whenever they would lunge out from nowhere.

If Babi truly was somewhere within this cave Felix doubted his chances for survival, even with their Psynergy it proved a challenge, especially considering they had to be careful with their offense. One cast too powerful and they risked collapsing a part of the wall, or harming Babi if he was hidden somewhere in the darkness nearby.

Steel and fists had to do–even with Hama's Chi limited in the same way as their Psynergy–in order to drive the monsters back or defeat them outright. It was an interesting challenge, to say the least.

Felix's Psynergy was limited to lashing vines around the legs of monsters he could see, perhaps risking opening the ground a little as well. Mia focused either upon freezing the cave floor or healing, while Garet served primarily as a light source. The fighting was almost all physical and it allowed them to put into practice a lot of the things Hama had been teaching them since they exited the Lamakan Desert.

Footwork, parrying, proper form, dodging, and even the occasional punch or kick in between strikes with a weapon, served as their combat. It served to earn them many scratches and cuts, having to fight so close to concealed monsters, Mia's Psynergy flowing near continuously to dull the pain without having to expend the energy needed to fully heal.

Then, as another beast disintegrated into many particles, a groan rose up from further down the passage. The group readied themselves for another attack before another groan followed up. It wasn't that of a monster but of a man.

Garet held the flame in his hand higher, casting light further down the tunnels of the cave. The group gasped, seeing a faint Psynergetic outline of a person collapsed upon the ground in a heap against the cave wall.

The cave began to sparkle with light as Hama's cast _Reveal_ turning the faint trace of Psynergy into the full image of an elderly man.

"Lord Babi?"

The group rushed to and crouched at his side, Mia's Psynergy quickly working through his body to heal any injuries he may have.

"You… you can see me?" The older man's eyes opened, his face shimmering and waving slightly in the presence of _Reveal_. "You use Psynergy…?"

The group blinked, exchanging quick looks. It was rare for anyone else to ever know of Psynergy and they had not heard any word that Babi himself was an Adept in any way. The Lord's head turned to Mia as her Psynergy worked to heal him. A gasp that quickly turned to a ragged cough rose from his throat.

"That hair… you must be… Lemurian!" He coughed again, his body rattling under the effort of it all.

Mia shook her head in response, not understanding him, "My name is Mia. Stay still I'll try to heal y-"

"No… m-my draught," he coughed again, trying to pull himself into a sitting position. "I am uninjured and not ill… it is age. Please, bring me my draught… from deeper in the cave."

"What? Is there a pharmacy down there?" Mia asked, incredulous at why something so valuable to Babi's health would be within the cave.

Babi let out a short wry laugh, "Witty, aren't we? It is hidden… I shall tell you how to find it, please…"

The group consented, listening as Babi told them of a strange mechanism involving rotating colours and lights and corresponding rocks deeper within the deepest chamber of the cave. He bid them well, urging them to hurry, as they moved with renewed confidence and haste into the depths of the tunnels.

With the knowledge of where Babi now was, and that he was–for the most part–unharmed and safe, the group more readily and easily dispatched the monsters with steel and Psynergy, though still careful to not cause a collapse.

Fights were more intense but thankfully faster as Psynergy lashed around the chambers and caverns of Altmiller as the group dispatched as many monsters as they could see while hurrying deeper into the cave.

The only roadblock they encountered along the way was a rogue Djinni–Squall, their own identified it as–who sped around the scattered ruins within the cave, firing blades of wind and lightning at them.

The Psynergy it cast struck at them with such force as to batter against their own shielding, causing noticeable cracks to appear upon it before smashing through and scorching their skin with electricity.

Felix screamed, feeling his muscles spasm as twitch as lightning coursed its way up through his body. The sting of Jupiter Psynergy rattling his bones followed hastily by Mercury soothing the pain and the burns was a unique sensation as his own activated in response.

Vines lashed out at the Djinni, entangling and wrapping around it before slamming the sprite into the ground where bundles of _Briars_ and _Nettles_ had sprouted from the ground.

Fire erupted from beneath the spot where the Djinni was ensnared, Felix's Psynergy being burned away as Garet's own _Volcano_ burst from the ground and threw Squall into the air.

The Djinni burst into a series of purple orbs at that, hovering about the cave before reconstituting back into its physical form before the four Adepts. It made no effort to move or attack, simply floated in front of them as it flapped the small wings on its back. Mia extended a hand and the Djinni made a happy little motion before it dissolved into the orbs once more before joining Mia's form.

With another new partner–who apologised for challenging them once they had settled within Mia–the group continued deeper before finally arriving in a chamber resembling that which Babi had described.

Five boulders sat upon the ground, glimmering ever so faintly with a trace of Psynergy, in the centre of an otherwise featureless room. Felix pressed his hand to the central rock, still surprised when the coloured lights Babi had told them about were projected onto the opposing wall.

As instructed the group went about pressing down on each boulder, watching as the lights spun around faster and faster before almost becoming a solid circle of white light.

Felix pressed down on the final boulder and the chamber began to rumble, the circle of light pulsing and flashing before disappearing in a flash of bright light. When the group opened their eyes they found the wall that had been there a moment ago now vanished, revealing a small chamber with furniture behind it.

On a table at the back of the room was a half empty bottle of a viscous red liquid, surrounded by notes, books, and quills. Mia lifted the draught, studying its contents briefly, before securing it within her medicine bag.

Felix took a moment to peruse the notes and books that were scattered around the room, primarily dates and numbers littered throughout like a diary. It looked like Babi had been measuring out how much of his draught he drank each time. Other than that, that same word he had called Mia–Lemurian–appeared on almost every page.

Rather than waste any more time the group hastily made their way back up through the cave to where they had left the collapsed lord. He lay there, perfectly still and silent, as they approached.

"Lord Babi?" Felix asked, gently shaking the man's shoulders.

There was a weak response, a barely audible breath escaping from his lips. Felix gave a panicked look and shrug to Mia who hurriedly retrieved and uncorked the draught they had found.

After the first few drops had run down his throat Babi's eyes snapped open as his hands scrambled to grab at the bottle Mia had brought to his lips. They shook rapidly, snatching it from her hands and pulling it away. Felix worried that he hadn't drunk enough of it, still about a tenth of the bottle remaining.

"My draught…" Babi said, his voice decidedly stronger than it had been earlier.

"You should dri-"

"No." Babi said, corking the bottle and stowing it away into a pocket. "That was much more than enough."

The sudden change in the man was surprising to say the least. Moments before he had been a frail and feeble old man, but now he looked much more sure of himself, the Psynergetic trace about his body dissipating as his hands touched upon a shimmering orb at the top of his cane.

"I thank you," the tone of his voice suggested that he was more upset than thankful, but Felix said nothing of it.

"We should get you back to Tolbi, there is a carriage waiting outside."

Babi nodded, offering thanks but remaining strangely quiet as the group guided him out and away from Altmiller and back to Tolbi. Even during the carriage ride back he said very little.

Felix wanted to chalk it up to simply being tired from the ordeal of being stuck in the cave for however many days it had been. While Babi did accept the few rations and water they offered with thanks, Felix couldn't help but feel that the sudden change had something to do with the mysterious draught he had imbibed.

He'd heard tales that Babi was a harsher ruler than any other, maintaining power through force and fear, that even Colosso was meant as a display of his might. If the draught brought on any personality changes within him, then perhaps that was the cause.

* * *

Iodem had rushed to Babi's side upon their return, insisting that the group give the lord time to rest after his time away before they were given a proper audience or the reward that had been offered to them.

They were granted free reign of the Tolbian Palace, being given access to its libraries, kitchens, and guest rooms while they waited for Babi's summons. Mia and Hama went to the library, both of their interests having been more than piqued by Babi's use of Psynergy and his mentions of Lemuria, while Garet quickly stole away to the kitchen to eat.

Felix simply roamed the halls, exchanging polite nods with the guards, nobles, and staff that he passed by. He wasn't sure where he was going, his mind was wandering just as much as his body was, as he continued down the halls and aimlessly stopped into various rooms during his exploration.

It was in a guest room on the opposite wing from his own that his mind finally found some focus. A cloaked figure sat huddled on a windowsill, staring outside and up into the fading skies of the sunset. He wasn't sure why that gave him pause, but they were so different from anyone else he had seen so far.

Their head turned, purple cloth wrapped all about their head and face, revealing only a pair of gleaming eyes–one green, one purple–set into darker skin than Felix had seen before.

He gave a meek wave and an apology, about to bid the person goodbye when the flash of Psynergy suddenly sparked from their body. Both sets of eyes went wide, and Felix readied himself for an attack, before the hum of Psynergy ceased.

The figure's eyes narrowed, glaring toward Felix, before turning away from him and staring back up at the sky outside.

Felix remained at the door for a time, hand gripping tightly to the handle, wondering what had just happened between the two of them. He finally offered an apology for disturbing them before beating a hasty and rather agitated retreat from the room.

He had yet to deal with unfamiliar Adepts and given his only prior experience being Jenna's group and Hama he found himself worrying about what that person might do.

Babi's summons came a few minutes later giving him no time to deal with those worries or talk about the strange Adept with the others.

"As thank you for your service to Tolbi," Iodem announced to the group as they gathered before the throne, gesturing to three glass cases containing weapons, "it is my honour to present you with these artifacts Tolbi has housed for decades."

Felix, Garet, and Mia stepped forward, bowing when Iodem approached them and handed each a sword, an axe, and a mace respectively.

"In addition we wish to reward you with a modest sum from the Tolbi treasury, as well as numerous healing potions and ointments for your dangerous journey south." Iodem continued, handing sizable bags containing the aforementioned items to all four of them.

Felix was almost slack-jawed in amazement. They hadn't exactly been struggling for gold, the monsters they felled generally seemed to have a fondness for shiny things and carried coin or valuables, but with this much of a reward they could buy and maintain new equipment for months.

Babi rose from his throne as Iodem gifted the last of the rewards to them, tapping his cane upon the ground to demand attention.

"Iodem has informed me of your need to head south," he said, both hands resting atop the cane in front of him. "However, due to political strain I cannot open Tolbi's southern borders until Colosso has concluded."

Felix resisted the urge to let out any form of noise that showed his disappointment or frustration at the news.

"I would make a request of you though, young Adepts."

The group's back straightened and stiffened ever so slightly, but undoubtedly noticeably in their current company, at the casual mention.

"I would request that one of you compete in the Colosso finals," Babi said simply. "Arrangements have already been made to forgo the qualifying tests, considering you are responsible for saving my life."

"Decide amongst yourselves if you shall fulfill this request, keeping in mind you will be duly rewarded for both participation and victories," his eyes turned to Mia. "Personally, I would wish to see the young miss compete."

"Why me, Milord?" Mia asked. Felix could tell she was doubtful and suspicious but trying to remain polite.

"I mistook you for Lemurian upon our first encounter, I wish to see if you are truly so different."

"I'm sorry, Lord Babi," Felix spoke up. "What does that word mean?"

The aged lord quirked an eyebrow in response, the surprised look on his face only deepening as he looked at the confused faces beneath him.

"Interesting, so even Adepts are unfamiliar with the lost city," he said, though none of the four made a move to speak. "Lemuria is a city on the sea, forever blanketed in the thick fog of the Sea of Time. There, Adepts–very similar to yourself, Miss Mia–live extraordinarily long lives by drinking the magical water that flows there."

Felix and Mia exchanged a quick look, the thought of the Hermes Water that now flowed from Mercury Lighthouse's basin being the first thought.

"I found myself there over a century ago, having been lost with my companion during the great floods. There I learned of the many wonders of Adepts, Psynergy, and the powers of Alchemy. It is there that I learned to use this gem to master the flicker of masking Psynergy I was capable of casting."

A fantastic tale and not one Felix could doubt after everything he had seen since leaving Vale, but he had yet to establish the why of the conversation.

"I left Lemuria upon a Psynergy-powered ship with stores of life restoring draught, and used it to establish Tolbi and rule for as long as I have. However," Babi paused, a sigh passing through his cracked lips. "My draught has at last started to run out, and I fear unless I can return to Lemuria then my life will end."

"So, you wanted to find a Lemurian, or similar Adept, to steer this ship back toward Lemuria to get more draught?" Felix asked.

"Precisely," Babi nodded, again turning his attention to Mia. "Lemurians all had hair and eyes strikingly similar to Miss Mia's as well as healing Psynergy. In addition, I assume you are a water Adept?"

"I am a guardian of the Mercury Clan," Mia answered, her expression tightening. "Yes my Psynergy can involve water."

"The Lemurians too were all water Adepts," Babi replied, disregarding Mia's correction of the term 'water Adept'.

"So you wanna stick Mia into the middle of a gladiator contest to see if her Psynergy can power your boat, is that it?" Garet spoke up.

Babi's face soured as his attention turned to Garet, his tone and lack of respect clearly not something the lord was used to receiving.

"Yeah sorry, but I'm voting no on that, everyone dies eventually."

Babi scowled but did his best to quickly recover his demeanour, despite Garet's disregard for his station.

"Agreed," Hama nodded. "The risk of injury versus the time to head south is too great."

The lord and regent of Tolbi were becoming noticeably more distressed with each rejection the group levied against them, but there were no words from either yet.

"Mia?" Felix asked simply, prompting her for her own opinions and decision before he offered his.

The girl's brow was furrowed as she stared intently at the regal red rug rolled out upon the floor between them and the throne where Babi and Iodem stood.

Mia clicked her tongue, "While an interesting proposal, I see no good from it, nor any motivation or reward for those involved save yourself, Milord."

"More importantly," Felix added on. "Our own quest has our priority. Should it come to a choice between pursuing the kidnappers or finding Lemuria, then I'm afraid you shall imbibe the last of your draught before we return."

Both Babi and Iodem sighed in response but it was clear they were not defeated, simply disappointed.

"That is a shame," Babi replied. "Particularly when the only passage south is controlled by myself, and even when reopened can be heavily guarded and restricted."

"You're blackmailing us!?"

"How dare y-"

"Silence!" Babi yelled out, cutting off the Adepts as they began to retort. "My request was a simple one, enter Colosso. Afterwards we shall determine the details of your journey south."

The group fumed and glared, but they likely couldn't do anything. Babi had said preparations had already been made for one of them to join Colosso, so precautions were likely in place to keep them in Tolbi under any means necessary.

"The finals begin tomorrow. I recommend you get your rest and have a decision made on who shall compete by the morning." Babi stated, his cane banging against the ground with an air of finality. "Dismissed."

* * *

Morning came and the Adepts found themselves hurried to the tunnels beneath Colosso stadium by a complement of guards and Iodem himself.

The thought of fighting and escaping undoubtedly ran through all four of their minds, but even if they could beat or escape the guard there was little they could do to head south out of Babi's domain.

For now all they could do was trudge forward in what was made to look like a victory procession but what they knew more to be a prison guard before reaching the finalists' chamber.

Seven gladiators were milling about the room, with seven ornate circles carved into the floor–as well as an eighth that had been drawn in for one of the Adepts presumably.

The gladiators, each in rather thin but vibrantly coloured shirts and shorts–the only armour being straps of padded leather over their arms and legs, bowed low when Iodem entered the room.

Iodem made the announcement to the gladiators, who had apparently been uninformed of the last minute change, that the group had saved Babi's life and thus earned his personal blessing to be a finalist.

There were some mumblings and mutterings from the gladiators but none of them spoke up in protest, simply nodding as Iodem explained the changes made to the match formula to account for an eight.

Finally, Iodem rounded on the group–still flanked on all sides by their procession of armed guards, each a previous Colosso victor–and asked who would be competing.

The group exchanged some looks. After some lengthy–and angry–conversation and heavy deliberation about all of their options the night prior, it had boiled down to two choices: Felix and Mia.

There had been some argument over the topic at the time. While Mia was technically the more proficient combatant none of them wanted to grant Babi's request to the letter. On top of that, as the leader of the group Felix felt more than responsible for the mess they were now in and had volunteered himself.

Mia had objected, saying she was perfectly capable of handling the tournament without using Psynergy, but Felix countered with the same in addition to her being able to heal him should he be injured.

It had eventually been agreed that Felix would be the chosen participant and he stepped forward into the hastily drawn outline for the first ever eight Colosso finalist while the others were brought away and to the audience areas.

Most of the other gladiators, save one, were either dismissive of the new entry or too involved in their own goals to pay Felix much mind to begin with. An assistant quickly handed Felix clothing, a light blue outfit–no doubt with hopes for Mia to have been the contestant–that matched the other gladiators, and a short sword.

Fanfare started to play throughout the echoing halls leading up to the Colosseum where the cheers of crowds waited, and two by two gladiators marched off to compete.

Finally it was Felix's turn, along with a gladiator named Azart, and he walked through the tunnels before arriving at a fork that lead him away from his opponent and up into the sunlight and cheering Tolbian crowd.

While not an overall terrible set of challenges Felix still found himself tiring quickly. Pillars of rock larger than him were difficult to heave into position without the help of his Psynergy. Heavy pipes that didn't want to budge from their position and bridges that collapsed into several feet high drops slowed him considerably.

The final challenge was the worst, the pool of water before him felt like it stretched on forever and was unfathomably deep as he took a shaky step onto the log that floated on its surface.

Panic rose in his heart as the log started to roll and his feet scrambled for dear life to try and stay upright on the driftwood. He was thrown from the log when it finally contacted the opposite side of the pool, smashing his body into the waiting wall opposite him, to the cheers and jeers of the audience.

Regardless he still managed to scramble up the stairs almost in time with Azart, diving across the sand covered arena to grab the shield that waited there first.

He rolled over the piece of iron, gripping it tight to his body and delivering a kick to the gladiator to knock him away.

The two combatants recovered and stared each other down, short swords drawn, one with a shield another with gloves, while the crowd erupted in their excitement.

Azart was quicker than Felix, definitely more trained and focused for combat, and struck out at him with surprising force. Felix was glad to have had the shield to deflect the blow away from him, doing his best to respond with a slash of his own.

Felix did what he could to not rely on Psynergy as the fight dragged on, not wanting to give Babi–who he could see flashes of in the corner of his eye now and then–the satisfaction of seeing Psynergy.

Nonetheless he had to work a _Cure_ or two into the cuts Azart had managed to land on him, even using as minuscule amount of Psynergy as he could to try and cause Azart to lose balance.

Despite not wanting to, Felix eventually found himself standing triumphant over Azart thanks to the assistance of his Psynergy, and the knowing smile from Babi who announced the winner of the round turned his stomach.

The second round versus the gladiator Satrage proceeded in very much the same way, but having to deal with two challenges over expansive pools of water slowed him considerably.

Satrage was already standing waiting in the arena having donned the chain mail while only a padded shirt was available for Felix. Satrage bowed as Felix donned his equipment, readying his blade and shield, before launching into a flurry of attacks once Felix readied his own stance.

Felix was less hesitant to utilise his Psynergy both offensively and defensively, even relying on the assistance of his Djinn, in combat against Satrage.

The man was easily a head taller than him, all muscle yet far more nimble than expected. His sword smashed heavily and rapidly against Felix's shield, knocking him to the floor and quickly drawing blood. Felix did his best to shove him off as he regained his footing, a _Quake_ rattling through the arena for Felix to knock Satrage off balance.

Blood spilled from the gladiator's back as small briars and spires stabbed into him before quickly receding back into the ground. Felix did what he could to capitalise, dashing and slicing at whatever exposed skin he could find.

His own body ached, the effort from the previous two races and the fight with Azart wearing him down heavily, and the repeated wounds Satrage's blade inflicted wore him out rapidly.

Felix delivered a punch to the man's jaw, _Force_ Psynergy activating and tossing him across the arena. Satrage bounced across the sand, almost tumbling off the side and dropping almost twenty feet to the ground below.

Felix almost threw himself after him, not having meant to channel so much power behind his attack. Satrage was gripping weakly to the edge of the arena, Felix doing what he could in a panic to heave the man back onto the sand.

With great effort the two of them were back on the sand, Felix hurriedly standing back up to point his blade to the man's throat to end the fight. Satrage didn't look like he had the strength in him to fight anymore, but Felix didn't want to risk it.

Babi was applauding from on high as he announced Felix, his own chosen warrior, as the second contestant for the Grand Finals. Felix helped Satrage back to his feet and the two combatants left the battlefield as the crowd cheered for them both.

In the short break between the last match and the finals Felix did what he could to heal his injuries. The gladiators were only allowed to rapidly bandage injuries, a true test of a warriors prowess was to fight despite any wounds so they said.

The final match began all too soon though, his Psynergy reserves were low and his injuries stung as he walked to the final arena with the hulk of a man–Navampa–beside him.

The final race proved a little easier for him despite his exhausted body, the lack of water in his challenges meant his own mind didn't fight his body. He was also now not above using his Psynergy more brazenly to speed his progress through the race, weaving vines between rock climbing walls and pushing stone pillars out of his way.

Despite this he still found himself having to leap across the arena to grab the waiting Claymore before Navampa. The two fought over the weapon for a time, Navampa's greater size and strength yanking Felix around as they both tugged at the weapon. A swift _Spire_ beneath Navampas feet staggered him just enough to allow Felix to wrench it from his grip, quickly swinging the blade at him only to meet empty air.

Navampa had already retreated, grabbed the waiting light blade, and had again closed the distance between them to assault Felix with the weapon.

Granite's protective shield, disguised by Felix's own movements, defended against each of Navampa's slashes. Felix swung again, only for the gladiator to nimbly dodge the attack.

Felix started to rely on Ground's ability to weigh Navampa down, slowing him considerably and even rooting him in place long enough for Felix's sword to smash against his shield.

The warrior barely made any noise as he fought, stoic and unfazed by anything Felix did despite the strange occurrences during the fight. He simply countered each of Felix's attacks, parrying him away and slashing through the already torn padded shirt he wore.

The cloth was soon stained almost entirely in blood and sweat, and Felix relied on Sap to restore some of his own energy as he fought. His sword finally managed to slice into Navampa, the steel biting deeply into his flesh as Sap's power drew his energy into Felix.

Maybe if he got Navampa's shield off–but no time to think, only do. With Sap healing some of his wounds as best as it could, Felix swung in hard and fast. He felt again, the steel of his blade biting deep into Navampa's arm. Felix rolled backwards, in a form Hama had taught him, to buy some space and time.

Navampa came charging in, not giving him enough time to catch his breath, and Felix barely got his shield up in time. He felt his body rattle around from the force of the blow, and Felix kicked out as hard as he could, aiming for just below Navampa's knee.

It was a weak spot in humans, Hama had taught them.

Navampa fell down to one knee, and before Felix could follow up he grabbed at his sword, shoving it out of the way, and stood back up again. Felix cursed; how much stamina did this man have within him?

Then Navampa's shield was colliding with his face. Felix staggered back, feeling his head begin to ring. The shield had to come off. Navampa swung in wide, and Felix barely dodged it, glad he had as he heard the ringing of the blade spin past him, and he knew that blow would have taken him out for good.

The fight seemed to drag on for much longer, and Felix lost track of the time. He tapped into Echo's strength once again, his blade biting in deep to either side of Navampa's flesh, and Felix bashed his own shield into the gladiator's face. Navampa staggered back, and Felix kept his aggressiveness up. He had to.

Navampa yelled out, responding just as aggressively as Felix tried to press his advantage. Steel met steel and shields clanged loudly off another loudly while all of the Colosso crowd cheered for the two combatants.

The world was spinning now. The image of Navampa and the colosseum around him swam in Felix's vision, the exhaustion and fatigue dulling the stinging pain from the bruises and cuts covering his battered body. If it didn't end here, Felix was not going to be able to continue on much longer.

Two yells echoed over the raised battle arena, Felix jumping in with a slash–Psynergy blaring–while Navampa roared and charged with his sword. The two blades met but the third of Ragnarok came down onto both of them, sand and dirt being thrown up all around them in an explosion of Venus Psynergy.

Silence fell over all of Tolbi as the city held its breath, eyes trained onto the centre of the arena. No one knew what had happened, thinking the force of the two fighters colliding kicked up such a storm to obscure the action, but there were no further sounds from within the cloud of dust meaning their champion must have been standing tall and proud over the other.

Felix gasped on one knee, doing his best to work as much of a _Cure_ into Navampa as he could, scared of what he had done. The sound of hundreds of people erupted all around him.

He didn't feel the ground as he collapsed into it.

* * *

 **Sky: thanks for waiting so patiently! we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this newest chapter in the saga!**

 **Droory: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments! Have a nice day!**  
 **Your friend and writer,**  
 **Droory**


	10. The Laliveran

**Hello all! Here with another chapter for you, hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

The days since Colosso had moved fast for Felix, still feeling the exhaustion from participating in Colosso. While he recovered Babi had opened the southern border once more, and Garet, Mia, and Hama had convinced Babi to give them a carriage to ride south so that they had a chance to catch Jenna and her group before they reached the Venus Aerie.

Mia and Garet had done some exploration of the city, and had found a trio of Djinn throughout and around the area. They identified themselves as Ember, Hail, and Ground–a Mars, Mercury, and Venus Djinni respectively.

Iodem was instructed to accompany them, acting as an envoy to Lalivero who would also allow the group to bypass any checkpoints swiftly and without obstruction from the guards there. At least, that was what had been intended before they reached the Gondowan Passage to find the guards stationed there to be recovering from a battle.

The stories they told made it clear that it was Jenna who was responsible and Felix felt his stomach rolling and his blood boiling at what his sister had begun to stoop to. Thankfully, at the very least, the damage they had caused removed any doubts or reservations Iodem had about Felix's quest and he was sure to speed them along to Suhalla in record time.

There they were greeted by yet more defeated guards, but not ones who had engaged Jenna and her group.

"Lizards," a guard grunted out, scars like crackling roots running along his arm. "They came out of the desert winds, attacked the carriage. They somehow controlled the winds, sent us flying from the desert."

"And the girl?" Iodem asked in earnest, looking over the group of ten Tolbian guards, each a finalist of Colosso now humbled.

"We don't know," another answered. "Forgive us, Lord Iodem. When the beast attacked, it sent us away, but the girl escaped into the desert."

Felix and his friends were quiet, eyes flitting about the room. Felix knew what was about to be asked of them, just as he was sure Iodem knew what answer they would have to give him.

Venus Lighthouse was too close, and the days of recovery Felix had spent–despite the time saved by the carriage Babi had granted them–had cost them dearly. If they wandered too long in the Suhalla Desert trying to find one girl then Venus would be ignited before they could do anything.

"We'll look as we go through the desert," Felix said, before Iodem could ask. "But we can't search it all."

Iodem let out a sigh, giving a nod, "Yes, I understand. I can only hope we cross paths, that girl is very important to the Laliverans. If something were to have happened under Lord Babi's care then…"

Felix didn't particularly care about the local politics, though his heart did go out to the girl lost in the desert. Had Babi not forced them to participate in Colosso then perhaps they would have had the time to spare for her, but as it was there was nothing Felix could guarantee. He could not weigh the life of one girl against the fate of all of Weyard, and he knew the others couldn't too. At best, he could hope that perhaps Hama's powers would give them insight into where she was.

"Wait, Lord Iodem," a guard groaned. "The lizards… we saw another group facing them. They hide in sandstorms but that group… somehow they stopped the winds by dousing them with water."

Felix looked to Mia, whose eyes were wide for a moment before narrowing into a steely gaze. They nodded to each other in clear understanding. Iodem thanked the guard for his information.

"It seems your group has already entered the desert."

* * *

As the guards had said water was absolutely the foil to the many sandstorm-cloaked lizards that prowled the desert. The sandy winds never ceased despite how many the group faced down, Mia's Psynergy being taxed to the limit in her attempts to keep a constant rainfall pouring on the lizards to halt any sandstorm's they sought to materialise.

More than once the group was caught in powerful whirlwinds, lifted from the ground and carried about the desert before Mia could summon enough Psynergy to fire a jet of water at the sandstorm's heart where a lizard waited.

The monsters themselves were not overly powerful, their Jupiter Psynergy strong but uncontrolled. Lightning and wind blasted about in every direction as the creature's relied more on physical attacks, perhaps not realising the power it possessed. With four Adepts facing each lizard down the monsters were quickly overwhelmed and dispatched, calming some of the winds in the desert for a time, but never ending the constant stream of sand that blew into their burnt faces.

"Wait," Hama said, raising a hand for the group to stop.

"What is it?" Garet asked, hand already gripping the axe Babi had gifted him in apprehension.

The group was quiet, the noise of the sandstorm all about them was all they could hear.

A yell.

The group turned curiously in what they thought to be the direction of it. Felix was certain he had heard something.

Another.

"It must be Sheba!" Iodem called, quickly running in the direction of the yells they had heard.

Felix and his group gave chase, none too happy about how Babi's minister had rushed off into danger. No doubt they would be the ones to suffer if something were to happen to him.

A flash of Psynergy up ahead.

Felix broke into as best a sprint as he could muster in the sliding sands of the Suhalla, the silvery rings of Psynergy and the sparks of electricity through the blanket of sand in the air prompting him to draw his sword.

Rather than the hulking mass of orange scales that he had come to expect bursting out of the sandstorms of the desert, a mass of purple cloth collided with Felix knocking them both to the ground.

Felix tumbled backwards into the sand, Mia, Garet, and Hama soon joining him at his side, before a lizard that would easily tower over those they had faced green scales and massive purple eyes staring down at them–appeared through the sandstorm.

Felix did his best to get back to his feet, realising now that the thing that had hit him was that same person he had encountered in Babi's Palace the night before he had been forced to participate in Colosso–Sheba, the girl the guards in Suhalla had lost.

He had no time to consider her current state, or why she was carrying a spear larger than her, as he readied his Psynergy and his sword against the lizard that beared down upon his group.

The winds picked up as the creature roared, silvery rings of Psynergy igniting around its body as sand was tossed in every direction from the powerful winds it summoned. Hama did her best to counteract the monster's Psynergy, her own working to calm the winds and gusts while the other three Adepts struck out with theirs.

Unlike the rest of the lizards throughout the desert this hulking behemoth was unfazed by Mia's Psynergy, water doing little to stall the strength or speed of the wind it summoned. With sand laced through every attack the monster summoned with its wind it felt like getting punched by chunks of grit.

Felix wiped at his face, thousands of micro cuts bleeding tiny droplets of blood that left streaked stains across his sleeve while sand rubbed against each and every wound. He worked in a _Cure Well_ as he charged forward again, feeling the energy from _Spritz_ enhancing his own heals, and brought his blade against the hardened green scales of the monster. His blade hardly seemed to not even so much as chip the carapace, that crackled and sparked with Jupiter Psynergy with every movement the lizard made.

Fighting was not easy, getting closer to the monster for physical attacks put them into a maelstrom of sand that spun around the lizard at painful speeds–threatening to knock them over or blow them away as millions of tiny particles bit and sliced at skin–and trying to keep a distance to use only Psynergy seemed wholly ineffective and only had the beast respond in kind.

Lightning crackled out in powerful arcs–glassing the sand beneath their feet and rattling their entire bodies if it struck them–while blades of wind coated in sand sliced through the desert. Being fast was their only option; moving slowly or being in one place for too long was likely to get them killed, not least of which by the lizard's powerful body. Claws as long as their torso and a mouth large and powerful enough to bite them in two slashed and snapped outward whenever one of them was close enough, yet even distance did little to stop it. The lizard was blindingly fast and would leap around with impressive speed to try and bite at his meal.

Trying to keep track of it, his friends, as well as Iodem and Sheba, proved incredibly taxing. The other three Felix knew capable of handling themselves, having enough of their own Psynergy and Djinn to protect themselves and the trust that each of them would be fast enough to save one another in the fight. Iodem and Sheba though were an entirely different situation, he could see the two of them every now and then retreating around in the corner of his eye, keeping a sizable distance from the fight.

Iodem seemed to be holding a struggling Sheba close but Felix couldn't pay much attention to them, worried that a stray attack from the monster might surprise him or hit either of the two, and could only continue his fight as he used Sap's power to rejuvenate himself while Sleet attacked.

Despite all he had learned about Psynergy and how they interacted this lizard seemed to argue all of that. Where his Psynergy should have been the most potent against it–Venus and Jupiter being naturally opposed elements–he seemed to be capable of little. Living in the desert seemed to have prepared the Jupiter-aligned monster for Venus and Mars related abilities and only Mercury caused any discomfort.

Not that it was easy to summon solid Venus Psynergy in the desert as it was. The sand beneath his feet was an unstable base to try and find a centre to channel his power, vines and brambles barely responding to his call. Manipulating rock had never been his strong point–Isaac had always been better at that, the things that grew were always where he thrived–and in the desert that was a struggle.

Thankfully at the very least they had found another offensive Mercury Djinn on the way to Suhalla and Hail's attacks stunned the lizard for a short time, the scales of its underbelly chipping and falling away from the frigid strikes.

Felix took the opportunity to try and focus himself, risking standing still in the fight to channel his Psynergy down through the scattered earth and into the solid base beneath them all. He could feel the sweat–already on his face from the heat and exhaustion of the desert so far–rolling down his body in waves as he extended his arms toward the monster. The sand beneath it began to shift and roil around, sinking down as the lizard started to struggle and fight against the growing sandpit beneath it.

Then the ground exploded upward in a blast of concentrated Venus energy, the ground opening and spewing forth rock and earth hidden deep beneath the desert that launched the beast skyward with each strike. _Gaia_ was not an easy spell for Felix to cast, having only recently gained the ability to use it, and he fell to his knees in exhaustion after summoning it.

He felt the effects of the Djinni Ember replenishing him somewhat, climbing shakily back to his feet as the lizard crashed back into the pit he had opened up with a pained and enraged roar. Despite the power of the attack and how injured the monster was it seemed wholly ready to continue the fight without any signs of slowing or stopping.

Felix retreated a short distance, weaving _Cures_ into his own body while Hama rushed in–Chi pounding against the lizard as it attempted to climb free of the sand pit Felix had created. It had offered them a measure of safety, trapping the beast in one place until it could extract itself from it, and they needed to press their advantage now.

Fire and wind filled the pit, surrounding the monster with burning Psynergy that melted and broke away its defensive shell for every moment it was stuck. At the edge Felix spotted Mia through the sandstorm that still raged all around them, hands outstretched as four of her Mercury Djinn spiralled upward and around.

Psynergetic shields erupted around the six people in the desert as if from nowhere a massive beast that dwarfed even the size of the lizard–all metal and chilling fog–emerged from the sandstorm. Sand froze and turned to hail as snow began to fall all around it and metal hooves stomped forward–freezing the ground beneath it.

The lizard snarled and roared up as _Boreas_ stared down emotionlessly at the creature. The Psynergetic automaton–wreathed in ice and snow–stomped down onto the pit where the lizard was, crushing it beneath its powerful legs, before Psynergy spiralled up and around the summon.

Massive boulders of ice materialised upon its back as it lifted its hoof off the trapped lizard–still all snarls and sandstorms–before crushing the boulders through its own body. Hail larger than Felix's own body launched with unbelievable power from Boreas' mouth, striking against and through the lizard trapped beneath it.

In a flash Boreas disappeared, leaving the lizard they had been fighting encased in ice. For a moment the group took the time to believe they had won, and that it was over, before lightning and electricity surged from the centre of the sandpit, shattering the ice and sending it flying like knives in all directions.

Many of the icicles cut and slashed at the group, more than one piercing into Garet's body since he had been closest to the lizard as it escaped it's prison. Hama was quick to grab him and retreat. Felix couldn't believe it, in all their travels nothing had yet survived an attack from one of their summons, and _Boreas_ was one of the most powerful elemental entities.

The lizard scrambled and roared, freeing itself from the sandpit, now looking entirely different. The majority of its scales had been lost, exposing the fleshy body beneath, streaked with scars and blood from the prolonged fight, but it showed no signs of slowing or caring.

Felix and Mia charged it, their weapons finally able to actually wound the beast and draw blood. Nonetheless the beast was still an incredible threat, Psynergy crackling off it in uncontrolled fury that seemed to damage itself as much as it attempted to attack them.

Sword and mace pounded against the beast's fleshy hide while Mercury Psynergy pierced through it, yet despite its many wounds it didn't seem anywhere close to death. Felix tried as best he could to land a fatal strike, going for the neck or where he assumed a heart to be, but the beast was still monstrously fast and would slash and bite whenever he came close, electricity and wind flying about in every direction.

Then, as if its own Psynergy finally betrayed it, a powerful blast of lightning came down directly atop its back, turning the surrounding desert to glass. The three slid back into the pit as the beast roared in anguish, before a purple figure spiralled through the air and landed atop its back, spear piercing through the back of its head and out the other side in a final blow.

The lizard finally collapsed and fell silent, dissipating into Psynergetic light as the cloaked figure of Sheba fell from its dissolving body in surprise at having lost her own footing.

"You did that?" Felix asked, pointing upward where the bolt of lightning had come from.

Sheba hefted her spear out of the dirt as she stood up in one large sudden movement. She looked at Felix, her green-and-purple mismatched eyes a bit wide in shock. She was frozen for a moment, before she knelt down on one knee, where the lizard had once been, and murmured something softly.

Felix couldn't make out the words, but he had no doubt it was a prayer of some kind. After all, who was he to doubt somebody else's beliefs?

"I did." Sheba said after a moment of seemingly introspection, her voice was quiet and her eyes were turned down.

The silence of the desert stretched out between the two for many moments, or so it felt, before Iodem cut across: "Nevertheless, we are glad you are safe, Lady Sheba. Your bravery is… appreciated."

Felix doubted that was what Iodem meant, especially as Sheba's eyes narrowed as she looked over at Iodem. However, Sheba didn't respond, instead looking off into the desert. "I must return to Lalivero. My people need me there."

"Of course," Iodem said, "But your guard–"

"Couldn't protect me from the lizards, or any of the other dangers of the Suhalla Desert." Sheba cut across, voice cracking into a squeak on a word or two as she stamped her foot.

Felix blinked as he looked at her. She was… so small. Even all wrapped in purple cloths and fabrics that hid most of her face and body–all but her eyes–she still appeared slim and barely came up to his chest in height. And those eyes… purple and green, but they glimmered with a look Felix recognised all too well, the same he had worn for who knows how long after the Boulder fell.

Felix swore internally, it mentally clicking that Sheba must have been a young teenager at best. And clearly, she was in a position of power in Lalivero. If the group wanted to get to Venus Lighthouse, they'd need to be on Sheba's good side.

"We can guard you," Felix cut across the tension, "to the end of the Suhalla Desert. It's on the other side of Venus Lighthouse, right? We have our own business from there, but if we're heading the same way–"

"That is acceptable, Felix." Sheba nodded, turning around. "Come. The end of the desert is this way."

Felix nodded, looking back at Garet, Mia, Hama, and Iodem. "Let's get going." He said, trying to not sound too rough.

They were so close to Jenna and her group.

* * *

Sheba proved to be a useful combatant of her own as they again scrambled through the desert–even assisting in taking down a Mars Djinni named Flash. Her spearwork left much to be desired, but as it had been made for a bigger, and stronger, Colosso victor, Felix didn't fault her. However, her control over her Jupiter Psynergy–almost on par with Hama's, made her a deadly enemy.

Felix was glad they weren't fighting her.

The rest of the desert seemed to be a quick journey, compared to the lizards they had already faced. Soon enough, they had pushed through, the sand beneath them solidifying into caverns. There had been a guard post buried deep into the cliff wall, and that was where they pushed themselves into, hoping that Sheba and Iodem would stay behind there.

Felix stopped when he saw the soldiers, every single one injured and bedridden, covered in burns. Did Jenna do that? He couldn't help but wonder that…

After all, she was not the baby sister he had once had.

"What happened here?" Iodem asked the one soldier still standing upright, quickly pushing himself to the head of the group to address his men.

"Milord, a group of people passed through the road to Venus Lighthouse," the soldier began to explain, "The blue man and the pink woman are… able to conjure flames from nothing. They had Kraden with them–"

Felix paled.

"Did they have two blonde boys and a redheaded girl with them?" Felix asked.

"I couldn't tell," the soldier replied, "I'm sorry."

The group looked heavily at each other, several things setting across all their minds.

"Jenna's group isn't that far ahead." Felix said.

"Sheba isn't safe to return to Lalivero." Iodem said at the same moment.

"We can't leave these soldiers to die." Hama said, with less than a beat behind her.

"So what do we do?" Sheba asked. "Who are these people?"

A long moment of silence stretched out. Felix then said, "They're people like us–and yet they have violated one of mine and Garet's village's most sacred laws. They stole something from us, kidnapped our friend, and convinced my sister to betray our people. We're trying to stop them."

That was a brief way to explain the truth.

"I'm coming with you." Sheba said then. "I'll expect a full answer later."

"Lady Sheba, you can't–" Iodem began.

"I can and I will." Sheba waved her hand in a way to dismiss Iodem. "These people are approaching Lalivero anyways, and it is my duty as the holy child to protect my people."

Iodem's jaw dropped for a moment in a very undignified way, and Sheba just gave him a look. Clearly, she was willful–and Felix was a bit glad for that. However, Sheba had said _holy child_ , and that left Felix wondering. No time for wondering, though; as Hama spoke.

"I will stay behind to tend to the soldiers."

Felix felt his entire body freeze for a few moments. "What?"

"Hama, we need you–" Garet began.

"No, Garet, you don't," Hama shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "You are strong enough to do what comes next alone. You need to be."

Her words and tone told far more than they actually did. What did she know?

"Can't you at least tell us why?" Garet asked. His hands were shaking.

Another shake of her head. "However," she reached a hand towards Sheba, "Lady Sheba if I may?"

The cloaked girl blinked, eyes flitting back and forth between the various members of the group she now accompanied before taking a step forward and taking Hama's hand in her own, and then the other.

Hama's eyes shut as she held Sheba's hands, bringing the girl closer to her. Both of their bodies began to pulse with Psynergy, and Hama whispered something underneath the hum of their power.

"Go now," Hama said simply as the two of them stepped apart. "I have passed the power of _Reveal_ to Sheba. Venus awaits you."

Felix sucked in his cheeks to chew the inside of them, a million protests coming to mind and a million more questions about how she could share a power like that but they had to get going, with or without Hama–and as close as they had gotten in the past few months, they didn't have time to argue with her choices.

"Fine." Felix got out, turning to go. As Garet, Mia, Sheba, and Iodem began to follow his lead, Hama said one thing that Felix knew would haunt him for a long time.

"The Lighthouse will cost you. Steel yourself, you have the strength for it."

Felix wasn't sure about the meaning of those words and what events may transpire once they enter the Lighthouse of his own element... he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

* * *

The trek to the base of Venus Lighthouse was a lengthy one; full of cliffs that were a danger to camp upon over the days and paths that moved every which way across the cliff-face. Iodem wasn't up to the climbing, his body growing older seemingly with every step–most likely due to fear of what exactly it was Felix was running to.

The Laliveran girl was a surprisingly welcome addition to their group–though the hole left by Hama's sudden departure still ached in them and would be hard to fill–much more than Iodem's company. Sheba tried to keep the more noble and regal air of her station as the "holy child" of Lalivero, but often that cover would crack and she would giggle or snort at a joke, or snap back with her own wit, before quickly correcting herself.

However, Sheba also grew more and more curious-especially about the speed they were going at, when it became apparent that the group was in a rush as the days went on. She asked questions, which Felix kept putting off on properly answering-though whether it was because he didn't want Sheba knowing, or if because Iodem was there.

Monsters prowled along the cliff face, likely drawn in by the noise and spectacle that was Jenna's group passing through. They were certainly tough, likely strengthened both by their proximity to an Elemental Lighthouse and the danger that was now the Suhalla Desert. Felix was certain regular battles with Tolbian soldiers certainly gave them means to be smarter than typical monsters.

All the same they were quickly dispatched. Clever or no, most were unprepared for both steel and Psynergy. Unfortunately, the same could be said of Sheba, still widely swinging the too heavy spear in arcs that endangered all around her.

Only after slicing a couple of hairs from the top of Garet's head did the man in question finally call it out.

"Geez, Sheba, watch where you're swinging that thing!"

"How about you just watch where you're stepping?" She shot back, voice all snark, but Felix could practically hear the defensive pout on her lips at the criticism.

"Sheba, if I may?" Mia asked, holding a hand out for Sheba to place the spear into.

The Laliveran child huffed, cloth puffing outwards around her face as she surrendered the weapon. Mia smiled in thanks, before quickly placing the weapon onto a stone nearby and dropping her mace onto the handle, snapping it in two.

"There we go!" Mia smiled, handing the newly made short spear back to Sheba. Iodem balked at the treatment of esteemed Tolbian weaponry, but glares from both girls and Sheba's now easier handle on the smaller weapon had him shut his mouth rather quickly.

"Thank you," Sheba nodded, before the group quickly continued on through the pass.

A Djinni, Dew, encountered them, but joined easily enough, perhaps sensing their need for quickness.

Felix toughened vines as they went, hoping that they'd be less likely to tear as they climbed up and down the walls. Eventually, they came to a series of caverns-one smaller than the other, and only Sheba knew which route to take.

"Upper one," she said, "the only place the lower one leads is to Idejima-a peninsula. A strange boat that has been there for… about a year. None of my people dare to get close to it anymore. There was no way in, and attempts to force one in were met with… injuries to those who attempted it. Who knows what sort of beings left it behind..."

"I think I know who," Felix said grimly, not wanting to think of what an unmanned Proxian ship could do to injure people, "the ones we're pursuing had to get here somehow, after all."

To the upper cavern they moved, however, wasting no time, even as Felix and Sheba discussed the possibilities of what could have been guarding the Proxian ship, and if it was the last one of its kind.

"Felix, wait," Garet said, gently grabbing Felix's arm, "I just had an idea. What if we went for their boat and destroyed it? No guarantee we can prevent Venus from being lit, but we could trap them on Gondowan, and try to heal part of the damage that they've caused."

Felix looked back at Garet. "It's a sound idea," he began, "but I think it's risky. Sheba's right; we don't know _what's_ guarding that ship, and Saturos, Menardi, and Jenna would have been fools to not guard it with something. Besides, it'd be better to prevent them from lighting Venus at all."

Garet nodded, not arguing with Felix's decision. "Then we better get moving."

In the hours after finally escaping the Suhalla Gate proper, and approaching the Venus Lighthouse, Felix felt more and more dread and doubt filling his body. Could they really do this? This ragtag group of people-one of them still nothing more than a child?

He supposed they didn't have a choice.

"The Lighthouse is already open." Felix said, even though everyone could see that. The clearing had a number of elderly scholars and soldiers with burns lying against trees, groaning in pain.

Iodem was quick to move to them, asking them about what happened and trying to organise some medical care. Mia offered some, though sparingly to save for the ordeal ahead of them, but it was clear Psynergy had already mended some wounds already which gave her pause.

"Stay here." Felix rounded on Sheba as they approached the doorway to Venus Lighthouse.

"Excuse me?" Small as she was when she glared up at Felix he could feel himself shrink slightly.

"This will be too dangerous, you've seen evidence of what these people we're after can do."

Sheba simply scoffed, rolling her eyes and marching forward ahead of them all despite Felix's protests.

Felix sighed deeply as he followed after her–none too happy about dealing with this child's stubbornness–his body strengthening with every step it took into the heart of the Venus energies.

The twists and turns with seemingly no way to properly go began to frustrate the group. The monsters within, whether they had found their way in after Jenna's group or had been dwelling there for a long time beforehand, were equally as frustrating. Felix was loath to say it out loud, and even more careful about thinking it in case the girl read his mind, but he was glad to have her powers assisting them.

The group walked in circles for what felt like hours–and very well could have been–before reaching several dead ends that had them backtracking again and again.

Then, Felix felt a tug in a direction near the beginning of the Lighthouse. He turned around, not looking at any of his companions, and began to march back in that direction.

"Felix?" Both Garet and Mia called, beginning to follow him.

"What's wrong?" Sheba asked as she followed as well.

"Something's calling me." Felix said, closing his eyes as he approached a mural of a growing tree. "I can feel it, inside of me. Like it's something _moving_."

He opened his eyes, pressing a hand to the mural. It took a brief moment of Felix breathing as if he was meditating-which felt like so long ago-before he felt the tug grow stronger.

He pushed against the wall, stumbling forward when it offered no resistance and wavered before him. A series of yelps and surprised grunts followed as Felix hastily grabbed Garet's hand, tumbling through the mural with what must have been everyone.

Felix coughed at the bottom of the pile of Adepts, the hum of Psynergy reaching his ears and the wavy signs of _Reveal_ being cast registering in his eyes. He blinked and looked back–as best he could amongst the tumbled bodies of his friends–to see the mural gone and Sheba's body pulsing.

He scratched the back of his head, feeling his cheeks warming slightly at the rather undignified event he had caused, as they all stood back up.

"Where are we?" Mia asked.

It was a brief platform, with a treasure chest on it. Across the way, they could see another stairwell going up, but with no clear way to get across-for jumping or making a vine rope was out of the possibilities; it was too far, and there were no plants already there to manipulate-they had no choice but to look for another way.

Felix kicked at the chest, opening it after a moment.

"It's… an item to grant Psynergy." He said reverently, picking up the stone gently. "It.."

 _It'll give you the power to lift and carry items around_ , Echo supplied, _not a taxing Psynergy, but I'd watch where you move items to; it'd be a pain to have to move and remove them._

Felix nodded. "I think it'll be an item to let us get further through the Lighthouse."

Echo and Felix were right; as they moved various chunks of the Lighthouse across, they arrived at a statue of a woman, one who appeared every bit as divine as the statue inside of Mercury Lighthouse.

Felix approached it, suddenly nervous, feeling equal parts humbled and guilty. Mercury's imparted knowledge and power to Mia, but did he deserve to be granted the same after all he had done? After all, it was his fault that the Lighthouses had been unlocked…

He shook his head, he had no time for doubts or guilt so close to stopping Jenna after so long, stepping forward as everyone stayed slightly back. He put a hand out to the statue, standing in its hands, and an impression pressed through him.

He could feel the Psynergy within him reacting, the sensation of soft soil filling and relaxing his whole body as the statue connected with him, judged him, and spoke to him.

He was not the first Adept to connect with it since the doors were opened. Isaac had been here and spoken to the statue too. Not quite words and images that didn't quite materialise flowed into his mind, showing him the path to the Aerie.

Felix pulled away from the statue. "Isaac was here–recently, but the Beacon isn't lit yet."

"Well, we kinda guessed that, Felix." Garet said, gesturing to the fact that they were standing in the Lighthouse.

"The true entrance is underground… To the north."

"Could they have gone to the Venus Ruins?" Sheba asked. "Lalivero is built near to it, though the Tolbians have occupied the area, defiling it with some construction for Babi under threats of force–as well as my kidnapping."

Felix grumbled in distaste, everything he heard about Babi souring the supposed debt the lord assumed they owed him. Regardless, if there was a Tolbian occupation they would need to continue with Iodem if they wished to get inside the Venus Ruins.

"Sounds promising. Let's go."

Nobody argued with that decision. As Felix led the group out, a growing thought of horror going through him, he pushed onward, half-sprinting to get out of the Venus Lighthouse.

What would Jenna's group have done to the Laliverans if they hadn't given the secrets that Jenna's group wanted?

The falling of his feet felt like the drumming of an army. Except it got faster, and faster, every few beats, and Felix didn't want to think about how he was borderline running.

Eventually, he had to stop, his body and mind were exhausted after the long journey from Venus, night had long since fallen making travel even more treacherous, and taking a glance at the party behind him they were all just as exhausted.

"Let's camp."

* * *

"I want the full story."

Sheba's voice cut clearly over the crackling fire and still night air as she addressed the three Adepts.

"We've told y–"

"No." Sheba shook her head as Felix began to speak. "You've given me _some_ details. I learned more from our meeting in Tolbi than what you've told me."

Mia and Garet turned questioning eyes towards Felix as Sheba spoke directly to him, the man simply sighing and wiping his hands down his face. He didn't _like_ to talk about it, the full story hurt him.

"You don't need to know," Felix shook his head, jaw clenching a little as his eyes flitted to Iodem some feet away who was obviously listening quite intently. "We promised to escort you to Lalivero, we're not bringing you into the Lighthouse and chasing the others, it's too dangerous."

"Yes yes, so you've said," Sheba huffed, waving her hand dismissively at Felix's repeated explanation, as if she had heard it all before, and was half expecting to hear it again. "And yet you brought Mia with you, and had no trouble with Hama accompanying you. Was I not of help in the Lighthouse earlier? Is it my age? My lack of skill with a weapon? I think my powers more than–"

"Enough."

Sheba's eyes went wide and then narrowed into a scowl as Felix shut her down, no doubt unused to being treated as such.

"I don't want you involved," Felix began, aware that his hands were shaking and his voice began to quiver just a bit-but from anger or grief, he wasn't sure. "I didn't want Mia involved. Hama made it seem we'd have died without her, and frankly I believe that. And, yes, while you are powerful your lack of training for combat has me terrified." Felix paused to level his breathing, he and Garet hadn't been either for the longest time, how lucky had they gotten? He exhaled sharply to clear the images of their bodies or Sheba's after a defeat from his mind.

"Stay in Lalivero when we get there. Be with your family, appreciate that time together."

Sheba's eyebrows stitched together, her mismatched eyes scanning over Felix's face. For his part, he tried to keep his face stony, neutral, unreadable, wanting the discussion to be over. Felix had to keep himself flat, hard to read, because he would see Sheba's Psynergy, should she try to read his mind for a second time, and he wanted to dissuade her from trying in the first place.

The Laliveran stood up after a moment, "I appreciate your concern for me, Felix." As she walked past him to her tent a hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Maybe you should show the same concern for yourself. Take your own advice."

Felix's eyes widened at Sheba's words, her tone calm and indecipherable. She had read his mind once, so who knew how much she truly knew about him and his past, his struggles. He did his best to remain neutral as Sheba's hand lifted from his shoulder and she moved past him to her tent.

As he heard the flap of her tent close Felix let out the breath he had been holding in a long exhale, his hands flexing out of the fists he didn't realise they had balled into on his knees.

"Felix," Mia moved closer, an elbow nudging his side to get him to face her. "She's right, you'd be dead if you tried to do all of this alone."

"I don't want to hear it, Mia." He muttered, turning away from her, the same guilt that he had borne so early on in the quest shoving itself to the forefront of Felix's mind.

"I know," She stood up, and just as Sheba had, rested a hand on his shoulder. "But think about it."

Felix shook his head again as she left his side. He wished he could do anything _but_ think about it. For the past year it was basically all he had on his mind. Whether he wanted it or not he was technically the leader of their little group–and unfortunately Hama was no longer there to pick up his slack–so the responsibility for all of them was on him.

"You're doing it again." Garet drawled out, not quite looking at Felix as he poked the fire, and the last of their meagre rations.

"Garet, not n–"

"We're in it, Felix," Garet's serious expression shut Felix up for a brief moment, "Suck it up, and maybe listen to the girls; they know what they're talking about."

"Sheba–"

"Read you like a book, I'm sure she doesn't need to read minds to do it either," Garet grinned, slurping down the last of his stew. "I'm sure Hama taught her _Reveal_ for a reason anyway."

Felix huffed, still upset over her sudden departure. He had felt much more competent with a trained combatant and Adept travelling with them, it certainly made him feel safer. If only Jupiter prophecies or whatever other reason she had for leaving them were more plain or communicated he might feel better about it all.

"And if Sheba dies?" Felix countered grimly, staring at Garet over the crackling flames.

"Then chances are we will too, won't really have any time to feel guilty or anything." He shrugged in response. "Besides, I like our chances better with that little lightning-spitter with us, even if she did give me an unwanted haircut."

Felix rolled his eyes, trying and failing to hide the smirk passing over his lips.

Garet smiled wider at that, before standing up and stretching with a yawn. "Well, bright and early tomorrow huh? Better hit the hay. Get a good rest, maybe we'll be thinking clearer in the morning."

Felix simply nodded in response, being jolted forward slightly by the firm pat–though perhaps slap would be more accurate–on the back Garet gave him before turning in.

He knew they were all right as he tossed and turned on his blanket. They'd barely won against Saturos in the presence of the Mercury Beacon, and while they were undoubtedly stronger and more practiced now, the same would be said of Jenna's group.

And if they wanted to stop them lighting the Beacon they'd have to face more than just a weakened Saturos. They would be most likely facing Menardi as well, perhaps even Jenna, and-depending on what Jenna had convinced Isaac, and Ivan, of-the two hostages who stood a fight with Psynergy. Felix pressed his hands into his face again, sighing deeply but wanting to scream against them.

He hated this. He hated it all.

* * *

 **Sky: Thanks for reading this chapter! Let us know what you think of it! 3**

 **Droory: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and finally being able to see Sheba! Can't wait to hear what you thought!**  
 **Your friend and writer,**  
 **Droory**


	11. The Venus Aerie

**Hey all! We're nearly to the end of GS1, hope you've been having a blast reading so far!**

* * *

Lalivero felt like it was upon them faster than anyone had anticipated. The days had passed by in a relative blur, waking early and marching north as quickly as they could for as long as they could.

Or perhaps that's just how it had felt for Felix.

In truth his mind had been elsewhere since Sheba and the others had confronted him about his feelings regarding the quest. Thankfully they had not brought it up again, but Felix continued to dwell upon it.

He felt it was right of him to not want to involve Sheba in any of this, to put her at risk was irresponsible and frankly greedy as far as he was concerned. Yet, he had to admit, with Hama now gone, having Sheba in the group did make things easier and he had no doubt they would have need of Jupiter Psynergy in some way or another.

Hama _had_ given Sheba _Reveal_ for a reason. Felix just wished there had been some time or some explanation to know what was really going on… most of all, he wanted to know _why_ Sheba was so eager to know about their quest and accompany them. It made more sense for her to be happy to return to Lalivero and stay there.

Perhaps she felt some form of duty for the fact that they had saved her, or could recognise the importance of the quest–if she hadn't already gleaned details of it from the _Mind Read_ encounter in Tolbi–or something else entirely. Felix did note she took to travelling and fighting with an odd amount of fervour for a girl of both her age and status, not what he would have expected of someone who was essentially a noble.

"We're here."

Felix blinked and looked up through the stone gateway ahead of them, past a large monument, and to the Babi Lighthouse being built to the north of the town.

"Well, at least it looks like they didn't cause any trouble for the townsfolk," Mia said as they stepped into the town and looked around.

Indeed, there was no sign of battle or fire anywhere in the town. Felix heard Sheba exhale a grateful sigh behind him, no doubt having been worried about just what Jenna might do to the Laliverans after having seen what she did to the Tolbian guards from Suhalla and the checkpoints along the way.

"I know we are in a rush," Sheba spoke up, Felix's eyes narrowing at her use of 'we', "but I wish to stop to see my family, they will no doubt offer supplies for the Venus Ruins."

"Agreed," Iodem chimed in. "It must be shown that Tolbi has returned the Holy Child safely to Lalivero as per the agreement."

 _'_ _Agreement_ ', Felix let out an amused breath at the idea, one that no doubt his companions shared.

Sheba led the group to a house in the south-west of the town, rapping thrice upon the sturdy wooden door. The group waited expectantly for a few moments longer than was comfortable to be silent, before the door opened.

In a rush of movement that took Felix a moment to process an older man–blonde hair, dark skin–had pulled Sheba into a hug and was calling in a language Felix didn't understand into the house. Three others quickly appeared behind who he assumed to be Sheba's father, a woman and a young boy and girl, who joined the hug in earnest.

Felix exchanged some awkward glances with Garet and Mia as Sheba reunited with her family, Laliveran words still being spoken through smiles and tears.

"Thank you," the man finally said, hands on Sheba's shoulders but he had pulled himself away enough to look up at Felix and the others, before his gaze hardened as he turned to Iodem.

"Faran." The regent said, offering a simple bow.

Faran gave a stiff nod in return, before turning with a smile to Felix and the others, "Please, come in."

Sheba and her family led the group into the rather sizeable home, but still modest for what Felix assumed to be whatever counted for a lord or leader in Lalivero. To the back right of the room were a few screens and what looked to be a ladder, no doubt separating whatever may be the bedrooms and bathroom from the rest of the house, colourful rugs laid out along the floor with ample space for seating around a large table.

Directly ahead of them as they entered was the kitchen, and Felix's stomach grumbled and growled loudly as the smell of fried fish wafted over the room to him. It had been a long day already, but they couldn't waste too much time here, tempting as that food smelled.

Before he could voice any words or objections about the idea of staying, the older woman–who he presumed to be Sheba's mother–ushered the three of them to sit around the table with her children as Faran and Iodem stood in the doorway to talk.

As quickly as they were seated Felix found a portion of fish placed in front of him. Felix wanted to say they hadn't time to stay, but the groan from his stomach, and Garet and Mia's as well, silenced his objection. A good meal before tackling the journey to the Lighthouse would do them good.

With polite nods and words of thanks the group tucked into the food along with the others, bar the men speaking in hushed tones by the door. Felix couldn't help but smile, both from the satisfaction of a delicious meal, but also of the antics of Sheba and her siblings.

The two were asking consistent questions, no doubt having been missing their sister for so long, barely giving her time to get a word in before a new question was asked. Any sense of nobility or properness that Sheba had tried to display over their time travelling together was shattered with how she interacted with them.

It reminded Felix of…

No. Now wasn't the time to think of such things. If anything it just strengthened his opinion that he absolutely could not tear Sheba away from this, he knew how much it hurt to have it torn away.

"So, you are after the others who passed through here?"

Felix coughed, almost choking on his food having not expected Faran to suddenly take a seat beside him and talk to him. Hurriedly swallowing down his food and giving a nod, he replied.

"Y-yes, that's right. When did they pass through?"

"Just this morning, passed through the town, caused some trouble for the Tolbian guard stationed at the Ruins, and then disappeared into them."

Felix exchanged hurried glances with the others, they were literally only a few hours behind the others. If they hurried they could probably catch them long before they reached even the base of Venus, let alone the Aerie.

"Then we–"

"Should rest," Faran placed a hand on Felix's shoulder as he made to stand. "Iodem explained why you are in a rush, however I have seen the damage they caused and it is clear you are all tired and in no shape to both chase them down and confront them."

"He's right, Felix," Mia spoke up. "We've been travelling all day, and unless you plan on walking all night underground and trying to fight Jenna and her group after all that then we should take time to recover and restock."

Felix slumped back into the seat dejectedly, she was right of course. Even if they managed to catch up to Jenna's group they would be outnumbered and outmatched, but no matter what it felt like they'd always be on the back foot if they didn't try to make time wherever possible to close the gap, and that just frustrated him all the more.

"Father, I wish to accompany them."

Felix's eyes snapped up to look at Sheba, ready to deny the request again, but was cut off by Faran speaking in Laliveran to his daughter. The two spoke quickly, even Sheba's mother joining in, words becoming more heated and motions becoming more animated as what was clearly an argument broke out.

It only ended when Sheba scowled and pushed herself away from the table, storming away and up the ladder on the other side of the room.

"I am sorry you had to see that," Faran said humbly bowing his head. "My daughter is proud and… and…"

"Strong," Felix said simply.

A smile grew on Faran's lips as he slowly nodded in agreement.

"Yes… yes she is."

* * *

As much as they had all wanted to enjoy Sheba's family's hospitality for longer, they truly were pressed for time. Thankfully with a warm and filling meal in their bellies and their supplies restocked thanks to Faran they felt more ready to tackle the journey through the Venus Ruins in pursuit of Jenna.

Felix felt… guilty about leaving. They had not been able to say goodbye to Sheba and did not want to cause another argument between her and her parents, but when coming upon the base of Babi Lighthouse and seeing the scorch marks and hastily set up medical tents that feeling lessened. It wasn't right to bring Sheba somewhere so dangerous.

She deserved to be able to enjoy the time with her family, Felix wished he could be so lucky.

Descending through the base of Babi Lighthouse and seeing the murals of the old Venus Clan that must have existed here being damaged and covered up by scaffolding and red brick supports turned Felix's stomach. While the Venus Clan wasn't necessarily _his_ people, seeing the history of Venus Psynergy being defiled angered him greatly. It certainly made him despise Tolbi and it's ruler all the more.

But then, they hit a dead end. A large cavern of a room deep beneath the Lighthouse, clearly having only recently been excavated. The only point of interest was the completely smooth surface on the northern wall, like slabs of steel.

"Think it's the way in?" Garet asked, holding the flame in his hand higher to illuminate the room more.

"We didn't see any other way." Mia replied, tapping her knuckles against the slab.

"Look around, there must be a switch or button or something to get it open," Felix said, squinting through the darkness at the various outcroppings of rock and cracks in the wall. "Jenna might have covered it up when she came through here."

The group did what they could to scan along the walls of the cavern for any hidden pathway or concealed mechanism they could use to open the way forward. Try as they might it seemed the room was completely bare save for the way they came in and the steel doorway. The darkness certainly didn't help.

That was until the room suddenly began to shimmer with light and distort in gentle waves. The northern wall of the cavern seemed to melt away, revealing smooth and pristine murals of the Venus Clan beneath the rock.

But…

"Sheba!"

Felix spun around–having been staring in awe at the desaturated image of the northern wall–at Garet's call of the girl's name, seeing her standing there with Psynergy pulsing with _Reveal_.

"What are you doing here?" Felix raised an eyebrow as Sheba closed the distance.

She answered with a point of her finger towards what appeared to be a mechanism for the door, "Helping."

Mia pursed her lips and pressed her hand against the indentation Sheba had revealed, all of them holding their breath as they waited for a reaction.

But there was none.

A breath escaped them one after another before a flash of realisation crossed Mia's face and she moved to grab Felix's arm and press his hand to the mechanism instead.

"M-Mia, what–!"

Felix felt the Psynergy in his body surge as his hand came into contact with the wall, feeling the pulse of it inside him echoing around through every wall that surrounded them. His breathing calmed and he pressed his hand harder into the device, focusing his mind, feeling like he could sense all the way to Venus Lighthouse and back.

With heavy screeches and groans the cavern came to life, stones and gravel tumbling from the ceilings and the walls as the doorway began to shift and open as ancient mechanisms whirred to life in response to Felix.

A slow sigh escaped Felix as he felt himself take a few shaky steps back from the device, only feeling able once it had released him. His mind and his body still felt like they could see and feel every surface of the Venus Ruins right up to the Aerie of Venus Lighthouse.

"Now, let's go."

Before Felix had even fully registered that he was back in the cavern and not still travelling the ancient halls, Sheba had marched forward through the now opened doors into the Venus Tunnels.

"W-wait…!" He stumbled a bit as he tried to take a step, quickly supported by Mia as he tried to find his bearings.

Sheba never broke stride though, simply disappearing around a corner and deeper into the tunnels without another word.

"Guess she's with us," Garet shrugged, following after her. "Easier to ask Faran's forgiveness than permission at this point."

Felix sighed as he took slow steps after the other two, Mia supporting him for a few feet more before they followed the others.

* * *

"So… did you see Jenna in all of that then?"

Garet's question made sense. After Felix had explained how it had been like he'd seen every passage that led to the base of Venus Lighthouse and up through it, it wouldn't have been a stretch to say he could have been able to see other people in the tunnels too.

But that was the problem, while he had certainly seen it all–or maybe felt was the more accurate term–he certainly couldn't remember any of it accurately. It felt as though it had all happened at once over and over, as though a map had flashed in front of his eyes again and again, but he was unable to truly discern any details.

"I don't know, it all happened too fast."

"Well, they have to be here anyway, right?" Mia said. "It's the only way to Venus."

The boys made a noise at that. Even if Felix hadn't seen or felt their presence there was no doubt they were somewhere up ahead.

"What do we do when we catch up to them?"

Sheba's question left a sour taste in Felix's mouth. She was here now and there was truly nothing he could do about it.

"We stop them."

"You mean we fight them, then?" Sheba turned her eyes back to Felix, purple and green unsettling him in the firelight from Garet's Psynergy along with her tone.

"We have no other choice."

Sheba's eyes narrowed at that before she turned to face forward again. "So, simply talking to them and asking for a reason for their actions is impossible, huh?"

"You don't know much about Psynergy or the Lighthouses, do you?" Felix snapped, not appreciating her tone or how she had forcibly inserted herself into all of this in the slightest. "Did you even know you were an Adept? Your own history or that of the Jupiter Clan?"

Sheba's body stiffened considerably, her march stopping for a second before her pace quickened, no response coming from her.

"The Lighthouse Beacons were extinguished to lock away a terrible power–power enough to conquer or destroy the world if one wanted to." Felix continued, flashbacks to the lectures and lessons from both the Vale elders and Kraden coming to him. "Alchemy, power over life and death, and making Adepts like Jenna even more powerful and dangerous than they already are. What other reason could they have other than being greedy, power-hungry, criminals?"

Again, no response from Sheba, she simply walked ahead of them all, the distance between them growing slowly at her faster pace.

"Already they've caused untold destruction, monsters are more widespread and dangerous than ever, towns and their people are at risk, natural disasters and Psynergetic phenomena have ravaged Angara in the year since they invaded my home, and they've only ignited the one Beacon. Do you re-"

"Enough!" Sheba whirled around, stamping her foot on the ground. Her eyes were glittering with tears. "Just shut up okay, I get it!"

Felix's mouth hung open mid-sentence at Sheba's teary outburst. Before he could get in another word, be it an apology or anything else, Sheba turned away and ran deeper ahead into the tunnels away from him.

"Sheba!" Mia was quick to give chase, after the girl into the passageways.

A swift punch from Garet into Felix's arm brought him out of his dumbstruck state.

"Lay off." He said gruffly. It was rare to hear anger in Garet's voice and that cut deeply into Felix. "I get it alright, you're stressed, you're tense, whatever, I don't care, don't take it out on Sheba when she's just trying to help."

"I–"

"No excuses." Garet cut across, walking faster to try and catch up to the girls. "You wouldn't have talked like that to Hama if she didn't know what was going on. Apologise when we catch up."

Thankfully the tunnels ahead were relatively direct with no real opportunities to lose one's way, unfortunately traps and monsters made it likely to lose one's life. The boys gave chase–flames held high to cast as much light onto would be pressure plates and false tiles–calling ahead for both Sheba and Mia, but growing increasingly worried when no reply came.

Surely they could not have made that much of a gap between them in such a short space of time. After rounding a few corners they stepped through an archway into a large room that snak down to an area with several pillars–pillars that the girls were currently weaving around as a group of monsters hounded them.

Felix and Garet leapt to the lower level of the room, steel drawn and Psynergy sparking to life. A powerful _Flare Wall_ surged forward as Garet landed, knocking monsters into the pillars or to the other side of the room. Screeches and snarls rang out as the two entered the fray, new focus and new prey for the monsters to tackle.

Monsters in the form of women–their powers feeling as if they could sap the strength right from Felix's mind and body–and flying creatures that were as statues–their hide like stone but their movements like air–rushed the two of them, while more still grouped onto Sheba and Mia.

The room filled with Psynergy, _Growths_ of vines and _Briars_ surged from the ground–the tiles of the Venus tunnels seeming to part to allow it–tangling around bodies for _Fireballs_ to land upon more easily. _Ice Breath_ from the gargoyles and _Tundras_ from Mia raining down upon either side while sparks of _Plasmas_ and _Bolts_ from the sirens and Sheba arced across the room.

Felix exhaled slowly as Psynergy petered out and the glowing remnants of the monsters coalesced and fused with the group. With weapons sheathed the group gathered at the centre of the room, but the tense air of battle was now replaced with the heavy air between Sheba and Felix.

"I'm sorry."

Quick and to the point, there was no time to mince words and he was sure Sheba could likely tell–if not just outright read–any dishonesty on his part.

"I shouldn't have exploded on you like that, I let my own problems get the best of me and hurt you because of it."

"Apology accepted," Accepted, but not forgiven, Felix felt. The look in Sheba's eyes and the way her eyebrows still crossed as she looked at him told he had hurt her much more than expected.

Silence hung for a moment before with a jovial noise, Garet wrapped his large arms around all three of them and pulled them into a hug.

"There, all one big happy family again. Now can we please not have any more drama until _after_ we stop Jenna and the others?"

"Agreed," Mia answered with a laugh, reciprocating the hug that Felix was trying to awkwardly wriggle out of while Sheba seemed to dumbstruck to extricate herself from it.

* * *

At seemingly long last, the group had arrived at Venus Lighthouse, both comforted and worried. While they were all glad to know that they were no longer underground–for what was assumed to be a week–they were haunted by the fact that they had still not caught up to Jenna, though it was unspoken.

Worse still, Felix found his mind drifting to Sheba throughout the journey and worrying. He wasn't fully sure of the scope or depth of how he had hurt her and he was sure she would never admit that he had or that his apology had not been enough. While thinking of how best to clear the air between them the same question occurred to him.

 _Why_ did she want so desperately to accompany them?

Over the past month or so he hadn't actually given it much thought, until they had been closer to Lalivero, more concerned with dissuading any dreams of her doing so than finding out her reasons.

For now though, he buried the thoughts as best he could, not wanting to dwell on them–or worse, bring them up and cause problems so close to the Venus Aerie–so that he could focus on leading them through the Lighthouse.

Though the Lighthouse was Felix's element, the further they climbed, the more panic set in. Mercury Lighthouse had every room and passageway seemingly untouched ever since the seal had been placed, however Venus Lighthouse was showing the signs of activation and life; rivers of sand flowed along pathways, and some puzzles and switches had already been solved or activated.

More frustration ran through Felix's veins. Jenna and her group must've only been hours ahead at worst, and Felix kept telling himself it would be just a little further until he caught up to his sister. If only they hadn't struggled with this or that puzzle...

He wanted very much to just stay put, and wait to confront her somewhere, but the maze-like structure of the Lighthouse made it impossible to tell which path would lead where, or how and where the path to the Aerie would open.

Venus was quickly turning into an exercise in futility however; some rooms would reset, while others didn't. He could never tell when he was solving a puzzle that would assist Jenna and when he was solving one to simply close the gap between them.

Entering a room filled with the sound of rushing sand Felix's stomach turned in weird ways. Rivers of sand criss crossed all around the room, being the only way forward and around to what he presumed was a passageway up on the other side of the room. While the sand grounded him to his element somewhat, the looseness of it all, the way it flowed, reminded him so much of that night.

He swallowed, taking shaking steps into the warm flowing earth–feeling it rush around his boots and threaten to carry him with its current. Garet's hand closed around Felix's arm, gripping him tight and holding him steady, as slowly the group waded into the sandflow and fought against its pull.

Trudging along, following and resisting the current of earth at various points as it wrapped around the room and the pointed barriers that populated it. Felix stumbled once or twice, as did Sheba, threatening to be carried in circles by the sand if not for the support of their friends.

Making it to the centre of the room the group dragged themselves onto a tiled platform that raised above the sand, resting their weary legs for a moment. Felix sighed, feeling like his legs were on fire from the exertion and the heat of the sand combined, before his eyes grew wide.

Set into a pedestal at the heart of the room, obscured and hidden behind all of the barriers, was a gleaming blade. Stumbling to his feet Felix slowly approached it, feeling as though his Psynergy was reacting to its presence, but knowing it was much more likely the effect the Lighthouse's activation was having upon him.

Grasping the handle, Felix was surprised when it offered no resistance as he effortlessly pulled it from the intricate stonework it had been set into. This time, he had no doubt when he felt his Psynergy react to the sword in his hand, feeling like it had been crafted from Venus Psynergy itself.

With a new weapon, another minute or two to recover, and a jealous huff from Garet, the group resumed their trek through the sandflows and to what they soon learned were the last remaining rooms of Venus Lighthouse.

* * *

Felix felt himself filled with an equal sense of relief and dread as the platform carried him up to the Aerie. The Beacon had still not been lit, which meant they had time to stop Jenna, but that also meant they couldn't be far behind and they would have to challenge her group to stop them.

All the way up he found himself thinking back to Mercury, and how Mia had not hesitated at all when the opportunity to strike down Saturos had presented itself. It had been a long time since then and he felt stronger and more sure of his goals… but he wasn't sure he could do that.

The image of his sister defeated beneath him, his sword held at the ready to end it, flashed in his mind. He did his best to quickly scrub it out, but his conviction wavered. As much as he tried to tell himself he no longer cared for her… well, he couldn't convince himself.

Deposited on the eastern elevator Felix waited patiently for the others rather than charging up the Aerie. As much as he wanted to rush, he had no intention to do so like a fool and risk everything.

"I'm worried for Ivan's safety, I made a promise to him."

That was Jenna's voice. Felix cast his eyes up to the top of the Aerie, barely making out the tops of heads over the staircases. Every instinct in his body was telling him to run now, time was running out, but Garet was still a little behind, and Mia and Sheba even further behind that.

"You don't think we would keep him safe?" A female voice spoke up, voice like fire. "The boy is rare and key to our quest, we would defend him with our lives."

"But I'd prefer you didn't have to." Jenna's voice was tight. Felix could remember it getting like that during arguments years ago. "It would be safer if he waited at Idejima for your return, let me take him there."

Garet landed then, nodding to Felix before his eyes went wide and he stared up to the Well. "Was that Jenna?" The man took a deep breath and paused, dropping their travelling bags, his brow furrowing as he listened to the conversation. "Sounds like an argument."

"And risk the Rod of Hesperia?" Saturos responded harshly, voice like a snarl.

"Sounds like a lack of trust…" Mia replied as she landed soon after, quickly hopping across to the main body of the Aerie. Felix wasted no time in following after her, telling Garet to wait for Sheba.

"That's assuming my brother even gets here or has it on him!" Jenna was loud, shouting, Felix hated how easily it brought him back to when she would get upset or frustrated as a child. "And if he does, you will end up fighting because you said he can't be talked down, so you can take any and all rods from him after that!"

A fight… he supposed it was inevitable in the end. He ran up the stairs as fast as his feet would carry him, ears listening intently to the conversation above as Sheba and Garet followed after them upon her arrival.

"And have us root through an unconscious man's belongings like common thugs?" Menardi spat the words in response.

"That's not what I mean! I just-"

"Enough!" Saturos shouted, words echoing down the stairs and Felix felt the time running out. "Return to Idejima now, Jenna. This conversation is over."

They ran as quickly as they could up the final flight of stairs, Mia's Psynergy already active and shooting volleys of ice toward the warrior the moment he was within view. Not a moment too soon, as he had been handling the mythril bag for the Venus Star.

"Stop!" Mia yelled, knives of ice barreling towards their target.

But fire erupted in a wall between Saturos and them, Psynergy humming around Jenna as she protected him.

"Felix…"

Her Psynergy petered out and she took a step back. Felix growled in frustration that Mia's attack had been rendered useless by his sister, quickly drawing his blade and staring daggers at her for her display of loyalty to these criminals.

"Look what your defiance has brought us, Jenna!" Menardi snarled, and Felix's eyes flicked to the deadly looking blade she spun in her hands and then to the gleaming red blade in Saturos'.

"Release, Ivan. Surrender the star." He said simply, stance tightening at the dangerous display of both warriors and their weapons.

"Oh ho! So you're worried about Ivan?" The woman's smile was wide, fangs showing through as her eyes locked with cold fury upon him.

"How about a bargain?" Saturos' smile matched his partner's. "You bear a rod do you not? A reward for your efforts in Vault?"

"What about it?" Garet said. Felix felt the man shift forward with his axe to take up a better position beside him, which comforted him greatly when facing down these opponents.

"You want it in exchange for Ivan." Felix replied, the unspoken trade obvious. Layana had intended it to be used to let the boy know they were sent to save him, so it made sense. Still… the talk of prophecy she had given and the stake Ivan and the rod had in it weighed on his mind.

"You're smarter than your actions on Mercury Lighthouse suggested," Saturos laughed, his eyes burning into Felix's before he shot a glance behind himself. "Ivan, identify if it is truly the Shaman's Rod!"

Felix did what he could to keep a steady stance and gaze as he watched the young blonde boy move forward from behind Saturos. Behind him he could hear Garet brandishing it. Felix almost lunged when Saturos held out an arm to keep Ivan from taking any steps closer.

"That's far enough, is it the one?"

Felix's eyes darted quickly between everyone on the Aerie, trying to keep a mental map of their position and stance in the event of a sudden attack. A tap on his arm and Felix reached around carefully to take the rod and hold it closer while Ivan leaned in as far as he could to see it.

"Y-yes, I do believe it is," Ivan answered, before retreating back to his position at the edge of the Aerie.

"Good," Saturos regarded Felix with a grin and a tip of the head towards the rod. "If you give us the Shaman's Rod, Ivan will not be harmed, agreed?"

Felix grumbled, his lips tightening in displeasure at the casualness with which the man addressed him. He truly saw Felix as no threat to him and it angered him even more to know it may be true without Mia's help. With no other choice he gave a quick nod, holding the rod out for Saturos to take it.

"Jenna, retrieve it."

Felix's eyes turned to Jenna, a glare meeting her eyes. She hadn't moved from her spot since he had arrived, hadn't even drawn her weapon. He didn't know what she was doing.

"Why me?"

Her voice was so hauntingly familiar and yet so dissimilar at the same time. She had lost her Valean accent, and sounded much more like the other two who had defiled Vale. Nonetheless, Felix recognised the tone and felt himself wavering again. He hadn't even been this close to her in Sol Sanctum or on the Mercury Aerie, but now as much as he wanted to direct all the rage and betrayal he had felt in those moments at her, now he wanted to help her.

"Let's just say your loyalty has been questionable recently…" Menardi's words were slow and deliberate as she moved her scythe back and forth in gentle motions. "Now prove it to us and take the Shaman's Rod!"

As the echo of Menardi's words faded the world seemed to go silent, all around them there was nothing, barely even the sound of a breath to be heard, only the heartbeat in Felix's own ears as he watched his sister stare at him from across the Aerie.

Her approach toward him was slow, deliberate. His sister's expression was unreadable as she matched his gaze with every footstep she took toward him. Felix felt himself taking deeper breaths than he realised as she closed the distance.

Then his sister was no more than a foot or two in front of him, arm reaching out to take the Shaman's Rod while the other tightened around the hem of her tunic.

She didn't say anything as she reached for it and took it in her hand. The two of them stood there for a moment, Felix unconsciously swallowing a lump in his throat as his sister looked up at him. He hadn't seen her so close in so long, her eyes still sparkled with that same fire they had when they were young, even through the slight shine of tears gathering there. He wanted to say something, anything, try to ask for an explanation, to reason with her, to get her to come home and stop this insanity before–

Jenna tugged on the rod and Felix let it free from his grip, his sister taking a quick step back. Another moment passed as they stared at one another, before she returned to where she had been standing before the exchange.

"Take the rod and Ivan and get out of here!" Menardi yelled, her feet moving into a more offensive stance that brought her closer to Felix and Garet,

"Excuse me?" Mia's voice sent a chill through him as he felt her take a daring step forward. "We gave you the rod, now release Ivan!"

"I'm afraid you seem to have misunderstood," Saturos smirked, his attention turning from Felix and to Mia. Despite the cocky tone and stance from him, Felix could tell he had not forgotten how Mia had troubled him on Mercury. "I said we wouldn't harm Ivan... but I never said we'd let him go!"

"You're altering the bargain?" Garet stepped forward then, his foot falling heavily beside Felix and his axe visible from the corner of his eye.

The woman laughed, a high, mocking, series of tones that frustrated and angered Felix more and more with each one, even more so that they had hastily agreed to a deal without considering the truth behind it. "We can't help it if you misinterpreted Saturos's terms!"

"Besides, we all know you won't listen to reason," Saturos taunted, catching Felix's attention again as he drew his eyes to the mythril bag tied to his belt and then indicating the one Felix wore that contained the Mars Star. "I tried that on Mercury, but this time I'll not waste my breath."

Of course, the bargains didn't really matter in the end. The Mars Star was to ensure Isaac and Kraden would be released safely, but Felix could not hand that over to them just like that. He had to stop them here and now, and the taunting pat of the Venus Star sent him hurtling through the realisation of where they were now and how close they were to failing to prevent another Beacon from being lit.

Wasting no time, he lunged forward with a yell, intent on recovering the Venus Star before it could be unleashed on Weyard.

"Bring it on, whelp!" Saturos yelled, quickly blocking and parrying his strike. "Jenna, go!"

Felix yelled again as he exchanged blows with the man, locking blades as he watched Jenna retreat from the Aerie with Ivan. She cast one last look to him before she disappeared below the stairs.

* * *

Felix's blade slid back from Saturos' own as Felix pulled away. An attempted kick to Saturos' knee, and then Felix was moving back. He didn't want to stay in melee range too much; Felix knew better now, that Saturos would use that to his advantage.

Despite Felix, Garet, Mia, and Sheba's aggressive assault, Saturos and Menardi were seemingly never touched by anything. Should an attack make its way into their defense and actually wound them, their companion would heal it.

Lightning, ice, fire, and vines all wrapped around the group of six. Menardi was a dangerous opponent herself that Felix wished he had known of earlier. Her ability with the _Resist_ Pysnergy to prevent Psynergetic harm to herself and Saturos and her more than effective _Supernova_ had Felix and his friends ducking every which way to avoid the worst of the effects.

Twice, Felix had to catch somebody from falling off the Aerie following a blast-Sheba, then Garet-with his Psynergy, the vines wrapping around them to carry them safely back up. However, that took up his time and effort, and when he had pulled Garet to safety with the vines, Menardi's scythe came crashing down on Felix.

Felix would swear he saw something flash that warned him his time was near.

No ducking out of the way of this blow; Felix felt his armour tear, and his side cut open. He swore as Garet yanked him out of the way. Swapping spots with his dear friend, Felix could only watch as Garet yelled and slammed his axe into Menardi's scythe.

Mia was engaged with Saturos head on, parrying every blow of his with one of her own. Felix could see Saturos' blade get through Mia's defense, and as it collided with her, it flashed an orange-red, and Mia yelped as she backed up.

Felix and Mia backed into each other, both looked around, trying to figure their best plan of attack. Each of them pressed a hand to the other's wound, and Felix heard Mia sigh as they each sewed a _Ply_ or a _Cure_ into the other.

The calming effects of healing Psynergy could not last; Felix heard Sheba yell as she shot lightning out every which way, barely missing-hopefully intentionally-any of her allies. Felix ducked throughout the bolts, hoping to take his advantage to press an attack against Menardi once more.

He and Garet pushed against her, Felix trapping the ground with vines as Garet unleashed a Djinni, knocking Menardi almost down, for a moment.

Menardi held out a hand, Psynergy bursting to life, and stood up. Felix watched her scythe collide into his shield as the flash from her Psynergy faded–her wound from Garet's Djinni healed, most likely from Saturos. Another blow came harder, ringing up his arm, and he swore under his breath. Both Garet and Felix backed up, trying to get away from the edge of the Aerie once more.

Soon enough, Saturos and Menardi had all four of them trapped back to back, barely blocking blow after blow, and dodging out of the way of both of the Proxian's powerful Mars Psynergy.

There seemed to be no way out of this.

Felix felt his life flash before his eyes and vaguely wondered if Jenna would willingly let him die here.

Felix forced vines to climb up around the group, activating Ground to hold Menardi still. The vines held for a second against a _Pyroclasm_ from Saturos, and Mia quickly cast _Wish_ to heal the group. That may have been all the time they had though; Felix's vines were not immortal and unharmable, and Menardi was moving again as well.

However, the group of four scrambled away from each other, hoping to make more annoying targets for the duo. After all, it would be harder to kill them all in one fell swoop if they were not in a group.

Sheba sent out another set of lightning bolts with her Psynergy, and Mia activated one of her own Djinn, sending a torrent of ice down on both Saturos and Menardi. This was met with _Fireballs_ and _Blasts_ , healing Psynergy working on both sides.

No ground was being made either way, any damage the Proxians inflicted was healed and vice versa. The only difference being that neither Saturos nor Menardi seemed to be tiring, and their Psynergy wasn't weakening, while Felix felt himself growing more sluggish as he tapped every bit of his power to fight.

He rolled away, Granite activating to shield the group and give them a moment of reprieve, and quickly uncorked a potion. The sickly contents of the vial stung but he could feel the restorative effects energising him.

He dove back in before Granite's protection failed, sword clashing off of Saturos', and then dodging Menardi's practiced slice. That caught Sheba's spear, knocking the girl aside, who Garet caught while Mia swung in defensively.

A pause to focus. Ragnarok's blade came hurtling through the skies to the centre of the Aerie as Felix jumped in to match the swing. The shock on his opponents faces was evident as they witnessed this new Psynergy. Their focus shifted to it, strengthening their defenses against it. A howl cut across the Aerie, another blade dropped from the sky behind them as Felix's sword slashed forward. Caught off guard the Proxians were blown from their feet.

More healing Psynergies were weaved between them, Mia doing her best with _Ice Missiles_ to capitalise on the momentum and stall the healing. Staggered as they were, their protection began to crack, ice slicing through it and into skin.

Menardi's scythe batted away Garet's heavy swing, only for her to catch arcs of lightning in the shoulder. Felix charged in, catching Saturos as he tried to heal her. Menardi snarled, flames spitting around her as she fought off Garet and Mia one-handed.

Felix felt the wind leave him as Saturos seized his throat, eyes burning with fury as Psynergy activated. Felix screamed as he felt himself blasted across the Aerie, throat burning and charred. He felt something healing him, but he heard Saturos yell louder over it all.

His focused attack had left him open. Sheba had jammed her spear into his side, lightning crackling all around it. Saturos knocked Sheba away, the weapon still skewered into him, and staggered to one knee.

Menardi screamed in defiance. Saturos' Psynergy flared to life. Fireballs spewed from his hands in all directions. The air around them detonated and Felix watched Garet and Mia being blown back, their Psynergetic shielding cracking and breaking.

Felix charged forward, hand gripping his throat and working a _Cure_ in. He couldn't see through the smoke, but his Psynergy lashed out ahead of him, _Briars_ racing ahead and stabbing at the warriors. Ice, fire, and lightning surged forward from his companions into the smoke.

Felix's sword clanged heavily against something, meeting some quick resistance before going farther and biting into something softer.

Had he…

 **Sky: Thanks for reading! We can't wait to hear from you all! 3**

 **Droory: Thank you for reading this chapter! Look forward to hearing what you think so close to the end of the first game!**  
 **Your friend and writer,**  
 **Droory**


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